


Devil Went Down to Faerun

by CoffeeCats, WarlordFelwinter



Series: Devil Went Down to Faerun and Related Lore [1]
Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game)
Genre: Don't copy to another site, F/F, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-17
Updated: 2020-03-08
Packaged: 2020-09-06 05:41:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 33
Words: 79,604
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20286316
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CoffeeCats/pseuds/CoffeeCats, https://archiveofourown.org/users/WarlordFelwinter/pseuds/WarlordFelwinter
Summary: dnd campaignthis campaign ended abruptly so this story wont have an endingmay continue to update with what i have, but either way I'll leave this up as is for the folks who enjoyed it





	1. Prologue: Welcome to Hell

"So… how'd everyone die?"

The question hung in the air for a moment as everyone stared at the man who'd spoken. He smiled blandly, not particularly interested in their answers. He just couldn't stand the quiet any longer. He'd always been bad with silence and right now, surrounded as he was by the dreary, bleak scenery of some layer of Hell, trapped in the back of a cart for what felt like days with a bunch of other dead idiots, he really needed a distraction from his thoughts.

"In battle," the woman across the wagon from him replied. She looked like a soldier. A half-elf, maybe, pale with dark hair. Strangely gaunt, like the rest of them. But she still looked like she could and would break him in half given the chance. "And you?"

He smiled a little wider. "I didn't say I'd tell you anything." He looked at the others. There were six of them in total, apart from the driver. An elven man with a haughty expression, a human woman who looked on the verge of a panic attack, a surly looking dwarven man, and a half-elven woman wearing very fine clothes.

"Names?" the finely dressed woman said, after a moment. "That one fella said we're going to be working together for this Drekker person, so we should know each other. I'll start, I'm Alexa."

"Asra," he replied, with a smile.

"Thia," said the soldier.

"I'm Gruni," the dwarf grunted.

"Um... Carin... " the woman said nervously.

The elf sighed. "If'Binedz."

"Bless you," Asra said, laughing. "Got a nickname?"

If'Binedz gave him a dirty look and didn't reply. Asra shrugged and looked ahead toward the mountain range. It was getting bigger every moment, but still seemed impossibly far away. He hoped they weren't going that far. If he was forced to be in this cart much longer he was going to kill someone. Maybe himself.

The cart lapsed into uncomfortable silence for a moment. Everyone wrestling with their own thoughts. Their own realizations that this wasn't a bad dream. Asra's mind replayed that argument over and over and over. Stupid, stupid argument. How long had he been dead? Had they found a body? Would he ever see them again? Would they _want _to see him again? Would _he_\--

He fidgeted with his tarot deck. They were quiet. The arcana had always offered advice when Asra didn't want it. Always whispered secrets. But now they were silent. _Why?_ Had they abandoned him? He could still feel his magic, still hear that humming potential running through the cards. But they weren't the same. Something was very wrong.

Asra looked up at the cloudy sky. A sky, but not the one he knew. A lot was very wrong.

And then a discordant twang broke him out of his self-pitying reverie. He looked over to see Alexa pulling a violin out of a case. She smiled cheerfully, though it didn't quite reach her eyes.

"A little travelling music!" she said, and bowed a few notes, paused to tune, and then launched into a song.

Asra distinctly heard a pained sigh come from the devil driving the cart.

* * *

"Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we—"

"BE _QUIET_!"

Asra was hanging over the edge of the cart as it trundled up toward the massive arched doorway of the mountain fort. It looked like it was preparing for a seige, which seemed like a bad omen. But the cart had stopped, which was a good enough reason for Asra to clamber over the side. He stumbled a bit when he hit the ground, like he'd forgotten how to walk after being in a cart for three days. His head spun and everything ached. The others looked little better as they got down, still gaunt and weary like newly resurrected mummies.

The driver pointed them toward a bearded devil and immediately stalked off, apparently having reached their limit.

"Making friends already," Asra said, following as Thia led the way over to the bearded devil, who looked over them briefly and then led them all through the largest set of doors Asra had ever seen.

It was a long walk, sloping ever so slightly downwards, through a tunnel into the mountain. Other, smaller tunnels branched off, creating what was certainly a veritable underground city. As they walked, Asra began to feel a bit steadier. Recovering from death, he supposed, and that thought made him chuckle. Rather than think about it too much, he focused on the devils they passed. All shapes and sizes. All giving their group somewhat dirty looks. 

It occurred to him that he still looked like himself. Most everyone they’d encountered looked like some sort of nightmare; spiky or covered in chains or upsettingly wet. He wondered why they hadn’t changed. 

Before he could ask their guide, they came through another archway into a massive cavern and Asra was distracted from his musings. 

A marketplace. Strange to see something so familiar here. There were stalls with various devils hawking wares, customers haggling prices and complaining about quality, barking in the strange, guttural language Asra had been speaking since he’d woken up down here. It was a scene he’d seen in countless cities while he’d been alive. Surreal.

“Stay here,” the bearded devil said and then disappeared into the crowd, leaving the six of them alone. 

“Stay in this spot, or this room?” Alexa asked. 

“Who cares?” Asra replied, and headed further into the market, now curious. As he looked closer, he realized most of the wares were weapons and armor. Not just a market, but an outfitter for an army. 

“I’ve accidentally joined the military,” he realized, dismayed. 

It was only a few moments before he heard a violin. He smiled and headed toward the center of the market, finding Alexa standing up on a dais, her open violin case nearby. Asra had to wonder who she was that she’d decided to start busking in Hell. He couldn’t deny she had style. 

Just as he began to wonder if they just lived in this market now, and shortly after Alexa ran out of songs to play, someone approached. He was as tall as Asra, which was unusual in the real world but not so much here, and Asra imagined he would have quite a bit of difficulty putting a shirt on since he was almost completely covered in spikes. Were devils just _trying_ to look scary, or had any of them actually considered the practicality of being a cactus?

“You six, come with me, please!” the devil said, in a pleasant voice that did not match his appearance. 

“Who are you?” Thia demanded. “Where are we being taken?” 

“Ah, of course. My name is Volin. Drekker sent me to collect you. He’ll want to be meeting you shortly, and I wouldn’t advise keeping him waiting.” He stepped back and gestured again. 

Asra sighed and started following him. He could already tell he wasn’t going to like whoever this Drekker was who owned his soul, but he wasn’t stupid enough to not realize he didn’t have a choice. For the moment, he was tired and content to go with the flow. 

“As to where you’re being taken--” Volin said as they walked, “--it will be your new home for a while. I assume you’ve already been given the welcome speech.” 

Asra vaguely remembered a devil telling them a bunch of rules as they sat groggily on the bank of the River Styx. Something, something, if you die here you die in real life, something, something. 

“Hope there’s not going to be a test,” he muttered. Alexa laughed. 

Volin took them through a confusing maze of corridors, finally ending up in what looked like barracks. Mostly empty at the moment, though a few bearded devils sat at a table playing some sort of card game. 

“Make yourselves at home,” Volin said cheerfully. “Drekker will be here in a moment. Try to make a good impression.” 

And with that, he left. A few of the others split off to investigate the barracks and find unclaimed bunks. Asra _was_ tired, but rather than find a place to nap, he walked over to the table and sat down with the bearded devils. 

“Deal me in,” he said. 

One of them narrowed their eyes slightly, but acquiesced. It took Asra a few turns to pick up the rules, but it seemed to be at least similar to a game he’d played before. He found that he still had money in his pocket and tossed a few gold onto the pile. The conversation was inane, idle gossip that seemed to be about politics although Asra had no idea who any of the people involved were. 

After he had won a few hands, one of the devils looked at him. 

“I have to ask,” they said, “what’s it like?” 

“What’s what like?” 

“Being…” 

“Devastatingly handsome?” Asra asked, with a charming smile. 

“Not what I was going to say,” the devil replied. “What’s it like being a half-breed?” 

Asra blinked, startled. Well, he reasoned. These _were _devils after all. Perhaps it made sense that they could see his Celestial blood. 

“I’m not _half_,” he said, annoyed, wondering if that was why he’d been getting so many dirty looks. “I’ve just got it’s blood, it’s not like I was raised by the thing.” 

The devil stared at him in clear confusion. “What are you talking about?” 

“What are _you_ talking about?” Asra countered, realizing he’d misread the situation. 

“Not being a real devil.” 

Asra laid down a card and smiled at the groans of annoyance as he won, again. “That seems racist,” he replied. “Though, I _was _wondering why we didn’t look like monsters.” 

“_That_ seems racist,” the devil retorted. 

“Fair enough.” Before Asra could ask more, the door banged open. The two bearded devils leapt up and away from the table. He wondered if they were trying to pretend they weren’t playing, or that they weren’t talking to Asra. 

He looked up, somewhat surprised as what appeared to be a human man and an elven woman walked in. Asra made eye contact with him and leaned forward, raking the pile of gold across the table and sweeping it into his belt pouch. The man narrowed his dark eyes slightly and lifted a hand, snapping his fingers. 

Something burned through Asra’s veins and he stifled a hiss. When it faded, he felt steadier than he had since he’d woken up. He glanced at the others and found that they no longer looked like half-awake corpses. 

“I’ll make this brief,” the man said, icily. “I am Drekker’Vas. I _own_ you, but you report to Volin. You’re all lucky there isn’t enough time to have you mulched, but don’t consider it a kindness, and I won’t hesitate if you step out of line. If you try to run, I will mulch you. If you fuck up, I will _mulch _you. If you disobey me, I _will mulch you_. Welcome to Hell. Welcome to the Blood War.” 

And then he turned on his heel and left, with the elven woman following. 

There was a beat of silence, wherein all the newcomers looked at each other, realizing what they’d gotten themselves into, and then Volin cleared his throat. “Right, well, as he said, I’m here to help. First things first, do you all have weapons and armor? We have about two days to get you all prepared to face an army of demons. I hope you all have fighting experience…?” 

Asra nodded. He’d woken up with his sword and daggers. He could see that Alexa had a rapier and Thia had a large sword. If'Binedz and Gruni seemed fairly well equipped as well, though Carin was lacking. 

“If you need to buy anything you’re welcome to go to the market, back the way we came,” Volin said. “And there are training grounds that Ken can show you to.” He gestured at the bearded devil who had been talking to Asra a few moments ago. 

“If there are no pressing questions, I have some other business to attend to.” 

“What’s mulching?” Alexa asked. 

Asra had the same question. He could tell it had been a threat, just judging by Drekker’s entire demeanor. And by how, with Alexa’s question, every real devil in the room tensed and looked highly uncomfortable. 

“It’s… ah… how souls are _usually_ processed, which removes the… _personality_. You six were a bit of a special case, simply because we needed soldiers right away,” Volin explained. “It’s really what it sounds like and something I would recommend avoiding.” 

“Fantastic,” Asra sighed, slumping down onto the table. He really had accidentally joined the military. 

After Volin left, Thia looked over them all, focusing on Carin. 

“Have you ever fought?” she asked. 

“Um… no…” 

“I didn’t think so. You’ll need weapons, and armor.” 

The poor woman was looking close to tears and Asra sighed again, standing up. He walked over and guided her away from Thia’s imposing figure. 

“Come on, let’s go shopping,” he said, with a friendly smile. “And I’ll teach you how to use a dagger.” 

* * *

“Anything catching your eye?” 

Asra looked down at the little creature that seemed to be running this weapon stall. They were about a foot tall, with wings and a tail. He leaned down, a finger to his mouth as he pretended to think, mulling over the selection of daggers. He picked one up and tested the balance. 

“Carin, catch,” he said, and tossed it to her. 

She squeaked and jumped back, letting the dagger clatter to the ground. Asra stifled a sigh and gestured at it. She picked it up, holding it awkwardly. 

“How’s it feel? Too heavy?” 

“It’s… fine, I think?” she said. 

Asra took the knife back and looked at the blade, thinking that Volin hadn’t been quite right. They hadn’t needed _soldiers_, they’d needed fodder. He doubted any of them were expected to survive this. He doubted Carin would. 

“They aren’t the best I’ve seen,” he said, conversationally, to her. “Bit unbalanced.” 

“Hey, hey, hey,” the imp interrupted. “These are the finest daggers in all of Avernus, I assure you.” 

“Avernus must not have a lot of good daggers,” Asra said, grinning. 

The imp narrowed their eyes, gaze going almost curious for a moment. They smiled slyly. “Tell ya what, I’ll cut you a deal. You work for Drekker’Vas, right?” 

“Apparently. Why?” Asra asked. 

“I’ll give you this dagger for free if you just… you know, happen to overhear some things and pass them along. Maybe you know what _you’re_ doing here, why Drekker suddenly got a bunch of new souls? And you tell your old buddy Rider, since they gave you such a good deal?” 

The imp held up a different dagger, of much higher quality, looking at Asra meaningfully. 

_They want blackmail?_ he wondered. He took the knife and handed it to Carin. “Deal.” 

“Great! So…?”

“I got nothing right now,” Asra said. “I was dead three days ago and I’ve met the guy once, but I’ll, uh, be sure to get back to you. Rider, was it?” 

“Rider. And what’s your name?” they asked. 

“Asra. Thank you, my friend, I’ll come back with all manner of gossip, provided we all don’t get horribly murdered tomorrow,” he said as he walked away, with a cheerful wave. 

“Did you just agree to give away state secrets?” Alexa asked, catching up to him. 

“Maybe,” Asra said, shrugging. “It’s not like Drekker trusts us enough to tell us anything that’ll be useful, and maybe I can get hired by whoever they work for, who is probably equally shitty, because this is literally Hell.” 

They met back up with the rest of the group and got Carin fitted with some armor. Asra bought himself a crossbow, as well.

As they all headed back toward the training grounds, Asra distracted himself by showing Carin how to hold her dagger. He found a somewhat quiet corner, away from other devils sparring. 

“I wouldn’t throw it unless you absolutely have to,” Asra said. He pulled one of his own daggers out of a sheath on his belt. “Here. I’ll want this back, mind you, but if you throw one, you should have another on you.” 

“Oh, um, thank you,” she said. 

“Watch what I do,” Asra said, pulling out another dagger and flinging it expertly at the target. It slammed into the bullseye and he smiled. Good to know he hadn’t lost those skills after dying. 

Carin chucked her dagger at the target. It clattered harmlessly onto the floor several feet away. Asra pinched the bridge of his nose, stifling a sigh. It was going to be a long day. 


	2. Prologue: Welcome to the Blood War

“What is our role, here?” 

Asra spun in a slow circle as he stepped out of the shadow of the mountain, taking in the trebuchets and ballistas other weapons of war perched on the outcropping. Above them, on the mountain side, he could see numerous winged devils, clinging to the rock, watching the sky apprehensively and fidgeting with their weapons.

As Thia discussed tactics with Ken—the bearded devil who had been put in charge of the newcomers—Asra walked to the edge and looked out over the barren foothills. An army waited below, holding a defensive line. In the distance, it looked like a storm was rolling in, but there was no thunder. Almost no sound at all. Even the voices of nearby devils sounded strange and muffled, like they were afraid to speak too loudly. 

Asra reached for his cards. “I’m here because of you, any advice would be wonderful,” he hissed, and received nothing in response. He turned and looked at the others. 

Ken was explaining something to Thia, pointing at the field below. Alexa nervously plucked at her violin strings. The other three were talking amongst themselves. A few devils Asra didn’t recognize manned the armaments, obsessively checking and rechecking that everything was in working order. The rest of Drekker’s forces had been split between the two trebuchets on either side of theirs, guarding this entrance into the mountain. 

Asra could see Drekker himself, standing near the edge, looking pensively toward the darkness in the distance. That was somewhat of a surprise, he thought. He wouldn’t have taken him for someone to stand _with _his troops, but perhaps he didn’t have a choice. Everyone was owned by someone down here. 

Slowly, Asra became aware of a sound. At the edge of his hearing at first, like a quiet hum, and then louder and louder. He turned back toward the field, eyes widening as he realized it was the shrieking and screaming and snarling of thousands of demons. What appeared to be a dust storm began to break up as it got closer and he could almost pick out shapes among the chaos. Twisting, writhing, and slathering for blood.

When the demons hit the field ahead of the army, explosions rang out, engulfing the force in smoke and fire as they triggered traps left by the devils. The horrific sounds coming from the demons faltered and Asra could hear the devils below cheering. Next to him, Thia drew her sword, and—as the smoke began to dissipate and it was clear they had barely made a dent—Asra followed suit. 

As he backed away from the edge, the devils on the mountainside took off, arcing over them in neat formation to engage the horde of flying demons. The demons held no weapons, carrying boulders in their rear talons, and slammed into each other as much as they did the devils. They ripped and tore and bit. Blood and bodies dropped out of the sky to the field below—more devils than demons.

A few of the demons managed to fling their burdens onto the outcropping, one nearly hitting If'Binedz who leapt and tucked into a neat roll, springing back to his feet just as what had appeared to be a boulder unfolded itself. The small, grey, rotting beasts got to their feet and rushed whatever devil was closest, driven by nothing more than an instinct of hate.

Asra twirled his sword in his hand, uncertainly, safe for the moment as Thia darted toward the trebuchet, decapitating the one who had been running toward him with a single swing of her massive sword. 

_They're distracted_, he thought. He could make a run for it. Get back inside. There was a portal network, somewhere. That was what they were guarding. If he could find it, while everyone was outside… And do what? Never stop running? Drekker owned his soul, he could almost certainly track him. He could never go back to the troupe, he couldn't put them in danger like that. 

Alexa screamed, snapping Asra out of his thoughts. She was backing toward the parapet, not seeming to realize where she was going, bleeding heavily from a gash in her thigh. Two of the demons chased after her, crossbow bolts sticking out of them. 

Asra exhaled and made a decision. He ran, skirting behind Alexa and pushing her away from the edge ever-so-slightly. 

"Careful," he said, and lifted his free hand to the sky, snarling a challenge in Celestial as he stepped in front of Alexa. Light flashed as radiant fire slammed down into one of the demons. It wasn't dead, but staggered for the moment. 

_Not entirely a devil_, Asra thought, hiding his surprise as he spun and brought his sword down across the other demon, sending dark blood splattering across the stones. As it collapsed, Alexa stepped up, making a few quick, clean swipes with her rapier and ending the singed demon. 

And for a moment, there was peace. 

Asra reached into his pocket and pulled out a card. The Empress. Even without her voice in his ears, he twirled it around in his fingers and channeled the magic in it, conjuring a handful of berries. He looked at Alexa and held out his hand.

“Here, eat these, you’ll feel better.” 

An explosion of thunder shook the air and he turned, staring up into the sky over the battlefield. Two creatures, bigger than anything he'd ever seen, were locked in furious battle. Asra ran back over to join the others at the parapet in front of the trebuchet as they watched the two beasts exchange blows. 

Thia squinted at them, frowning. “Ton-dur-zoith…” she murmured under her breath. 

“What?” Ken asked. 

“Who is that?” she asked. 

“Bel,” Ken replied. “The former lord of Avernus, actually. It’s Zariel now.” They hissed as the demon teleported, getting an unfair strike on Bel. 

_This isn’t going well_, Asra thought. More shrieking came from above, but this time there were no devils to meet them. 

“Ready the trebuchet,” Ken shouted. “Someone man the scorpion.” They pointed at a mounted crossbow. Gruni ran over and grabbed it, firing into the cloud of demons. Bolts from the ballistas arced over them, each slicing through more than one demon on their path.

Alexa took a few shots with her crossbow and Asra tried to call down more fire, though it was hard to aim as the demons twisted and tumbled over each other. Between all of the defenses, most of the them were torn down before they reached the outcropping. 

One slammed into the ground, shrieking, with a massive bolt sticking out of it. It trashed around, talons and huge wings coming dangerously close to the trebuchet. 

“Kill it!” Ken shouted. Thia ran forward, sword up and ready to end its miserable existence, and the demon grabbed her in its claws, squeezing. It flipped toward the parapet, intent on dragging Thia over the edge. Asra grabbed her hand, trying to pull her out of its grasp. The demon shrieked at him and lashed out with its free limbs.

Asra staggered back, grunting as talons cut through his armor and blood spattered the stone. Thia struggled, trying to break free or kill it, crying out in pain as her armor buckled beneath the pressure. A crossbow bolt slammed into its face from Alexa and the demon writhed. In its distraction, Asra dodged around behind it and brought his sword down onto its neck. Its thrashing ceased and Thia was able to extricate herself, only a few feet from the edge. 

Asra looked around, breathing hard. They were all bloodied and battered, no one looking like they'd be able to survive another wave. Below them, the defensive line of the devils was beginning to break against the endless onslaught of demons. Above, Bel and the massive demon still fought. For every strike Bel made, the demon took two, teleporting around them. 

It cracked a flaming whip and Bel grabbed it, wrapping it around their hand, using it to hold the demon in place long enough to grab. They grappled furiously, tearing at each other with their claws. The demon dug its talons in and twisted in the air. 

Ken cursed. "Get down!" they shouted. Asra ducked behind the parapet, Alexa and Thia on either side of him, and watched as the two plummeted from the sky. They slammed into the mountain and fell onto the outcropping. The impact shook the ground. 

Asra lifted his head, getting slowly back to his feet. Now that they were closer, he could see that Bel was losing. 

“Can we help?” someone asked. Asra didn’t think he was about to get any closer to that fight. What he really wanted to do was run. If Bel died, he was pretty sure that was the end of it for all of them. Demons weren't going to take prisoners, and Asra didn't want to try to make it past the big one to get to the portals.

Further down the line, someone shouted to train the ballistas on the balor. It seemed desperate to him, but it was better than standing around and waiting to be eaten.

“Come on!” Asra shouted, sheathing his sword. He ran over to the massive weapon and began shoving against it. Thia took up a spot next to him and they managed to turn it around, pointing it vaguely in the direction of the fight. Asra pulled the lever and released a shot, just hoping he wasn’t going to hit Bel. 

The bolt lanced into the demon, staggering it slightly. A few moments later, two more did the same from the other ballistas. The balor remained on its feet and let out a blood-chilling shriek. 

Unexpectedly, Asra heard a violin behind him. Alexa began to play a quick tempo melody, her gaze focused on Bel, her bow almost sparkling as it danced over the strings, weaving the music into magic.

Bel grabbed the demon and slammed their claws into it, tearing it open. The balor screamed and thrashed, clawing desperately at the devil. Bel ripped their hand back and blood sluiced out of the demon as it shuddered to the ground and stopped moving.

Taken by a sudden fit of relief, Asra cheered. Other devils echoed. 

And then the balor exploded. 

A chunk of bone slammed into Asra’s chest, knocking him down, as pieces of demon rained down on everyone. Alexa dodged neatly around them all.

As Asra got back to his feet, Bel looked over at them. They gave an almost begrudging nod and then took off, somewhat clumsy from the injuries dealt by the balor. Below, the demons fell into even more chaos without their apparent leader, and the devils were able to push back. 

Asra sat down heavily, examining his wounds. Nothing fatal. Alexa began to play a different song as they watched the demons be cut down and chased off. Slower, and the pain began to fade a bit. 

“Well done,” Ken said, nodding toward them. 

Carin, surprisingly still alive, walked over and handed Asra his dagger back. He wiped it off on his boot and resheathed it with a sigh. 

“I need a drink.” 


	3. Wealdstone: Field Work

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra buys weed

_A soft laugh._

_"Stop messing around, babe, it's time to get up."_

_"Mm, I have a better idea—"_

"Wake up!"

Asra startled awake and immediately regretted it. His head was pounding and the room was far too bright. He couldn't really remember the past few weeks, but that wasn't why he was disappointed. It was the fact that he was still in Hell. He groaned at the sight of the barracks and sat up slowly, seeing Alexa stirring groggily nearby. Thia was already awake and dressed. Everyone else was gone, apart from a chain devil, who had spoken and was, oddly, wearing human clothes.

"Come on," he said, with a familiar, chipper, voice. "Up and at it! You three are going on a trip!"

Asra stared at him, not certain he wasn't still drunk. He rubbed a hand over his eyes. "… Volin?"

"Oh! Yes, I suppose you might not recognize me now. I've been given a promotion," he said, looking far too pleased with himself.

"That's not going to happen to us if we get promoted, is it?" Asra asked. He was rather attached to how he looked.

"'If we get promoted'," Alexa echoed, with a exaggerated laugh, wiping a fake tear away from her eye. "Good one."

Asra snickered. "Good point," he said, standing up and stretching.

"Where are we going?" Thia asked, rolling her eyes.

"To the Material Plane," Volin said, and Asra immediately perked up. "I have a contract to fulfill and the three of you have been assigned to assist me."

"Oh," Asra said, disappointed again. He sighed and grabbed his coat, tossing his armor and his few meager possessions into a bag. Alexa followed suit, carefully checking her violin to make sure it was in order, and Volin led the three of them out of the barracks and deeper into the mountain, down a pathway Asra hadn't explored yet.

As they began to pass doorways and Asra could see portals inside, he realized this is what they had been defending from the demons. There seemed to be endless numbers of them, with signs above the doors denoting where they went. There were portals to different layers of Hell, portals to planes Asra had never even heard of, and portals to all different places within the Material Plane, even some to names of cities that he recognized.

Volin led them into a room with three portals in it and approached the center one, with a sign near it that denoted it as going to some place called Wealdstone. It was accompanied by a set of coordinates that meant very little to Asra. Volin paused and looked at them.

"Through here," he said.

"Do you… have a disguise?" Alexa asked.

Volin made a noise of assent and snapped gloved fingers. Visible chains retracted into his cloak and he pulled his hood down, shadowing his face in the cowl.

"There! Human enough," he said.

"Oh, honey… no," Alexa said, kindly.

"Tiefling… _maybe_," Asra added.

"I'm sure it will be fine," Volin said, waving a dismissive hand.

Alexa slung her backpack around to the front and started digging through it. "I think I have a makeup kit in here somewhere," she said.

"If you don't, I do," Asra said. Besides his armor, his backpack was mostly full of Malbec's possessions. He was glad he had thought to grab his bag before he went and got stabbed.

Without further warning, Volin simply walked through the portal. Thia followed after a brief hesitation. Asra glanced at Alexa, who shrugged, and they walked through together.

The air twisted around them and Asra felt like he was being pulled in about six different directions before he was shunted out into warm night air.

Asra stumbled. When he turned around, he saw nothing behind him. No evidence of a portal. The four of them stood in a dark forest clearing in the middle of the night. It was oddly silent, as if the sudden appearance of four devils had startled the nighttime insects. 

Volin looked them all over briefly, making sure they had all followed and none of them had thrown up from the disorienting trip, and then led the way toward a nearby road. 

Once they were on the path, and Asra could see the stars, he guessed it was around midnight. Unless they were in a different part of the world than the one he was used to. Asra could see fine—he had never had trouble seeing at night—and no one else was complaining either. He wondered if devils could naturally see in the dark.

He inhaled deeply. The air was fresher here, and smelled of wildflowers. Summertime. It had been springtime when he had died. Had it only been a month, or had an entire year passed before he’d woken up on the shore of the Styx? 

"So, why are we here?" Asra asked, after a minute of walking with nothing but the sound of footsteps to keep his thoughts company.

"Drekker has some interest in the town we're going to, and has a deal with the local lord. Once we're settled, I'll let you all look at the contract, it'll be good practice for you. But, in short, his daughter has gone missing and it's your job to find her," Volin explained.

"Didn't realize devils were into charity," Asra said.

"Oh, we're not," Volin replied, cheerfully, and Asra wondered what this lord had given to get his daughter back.

Suddenly, Thia drew her sword, holding her other hand up. Asra stopped and looked around, seeing nothing.

"What—?" he started, annoyed, and an arrow whisked past his face. Several shapes stepped out of the deeper shadows of the trees, all armed, and surrounded them. Asra drew his sword, thinking back to the moment he'd decided _not_ to wear his armor today.

"Now, now," one of them said. "There's no reason this needs to get violent. Just hand over your gold and we'll let you be on your way."

Asra burst out laughing. "You _really_ couldn't have picked worse people to rob," he said.

"Turn around," Thia said. "Let us pass. This is your only warning."

The apparent leader of the bandits smiled. "Very well," he sighed, twirling his sword in his hand. "If you won't give us your gold, we'll just have to take it off your bodies."

_"Good luck," _Asra replied, in Celestial, and gestured, calling down fire on the man, who yelled in surprise. Almost immediately, he retaliated and his sword was met by Thia's. A crossbow fired off, nearly hitting Alexa, who pulled out her own bow and replied in kind, eliciting a yelp from one of the figures in the woods.

They spread out, meeting the bandits as they came closer. One took a swipe at Asra, easily slashing into his chest. Asra growled, cursing himself for not wearing armor, and slammed his blade into the man, flinging him to the ground where he lay unmoving, blood soaking the dirt of the road.

One of the bandits ran up behind Volin, who hadn't moved, and raised his sword. The devil ducked and twisted, manifesting a chain with a hooked blade on the end. As he straightened back up and shifted away, the momentum brought the chain around the man and the blade sank into his chest. He pulled his arm back sharply, retracting the chain and letting the blade rip through the bandit. Volin sighed, seeming more inconvenienced than anything.

Thia knocked down the leader and Asra heard the remaining men go sprinting off into the woods. Alexa took a shot after them and there was a crash of undergrowth as someone fell.

"—your life, if you give me your soul."

Asra caught the tail end of Thia's sentence and turned, curious, just as Volin interrupted.

"Ah! No, no, no," he exclaimed, hurrying over to where she had pinned the bandit leader, who was slowly bleeding out. "We can't use coercion to make deals."

Thia straightened up and shrugged, stabbing her sword down into the man's heart.

Volin exhaled, patiently. "I think it would be best if the three of you didn't try to make deals until you've learned a bit more."

"You want me _not_ to do something?" Asra asked, assessing the damage that had been done to his shirt. "Deal."

"Hah!" Alexa laughed, pointing at him. "'_Deal_'."

Asra snorted. Thia lifted her gaze to the sky. Volin took a measured breath.

"Okay," he said. "Let's keep going."

* * *

Asra was pretty sure he'd been here before.

It wasn't a remarkable town by any means. A riverside logging town called Wealdstone. It seemed to be doing well enough for itself, but it wasn't large. It was impossible to tell, though, Asra had been so many places they all began to blend together after a while.

At the moment, he was watching Alexa. Volin had given them the morning off to explore the town while he set up a meeting with the lord—after Asra and Alexa had given him an impromptu disguise lesson which left him looking rather more human. After a while of walking around, Alexa had gotten bored and set up her violin case in the town square and started busking. She had quickly attracted a large crowd.

She was good, Asra thought, although watching a street corner performance was starting to make him feel a bit nostalgic and sad. He looked around, trying to distract himself, and saw a rotund man nearby wearing expensive clothes. Asra shifted over and unsheathed one of his daggers. He cut a few threads of the man's purse, which was comically overfull. The seam split and gold clattered out onto the cobbles.

Asra immediately stepped back, hiding the dagger, as the man turned. He looked over and saw a child nearby and pointed at them.

"That kid just slit your purse!" he exclaimed and the child took off running. "I'll catch him!"

Before the man could argue, Asra sprinted off after the child, just as several people in the crowd swarmed forward, trying to grab some gold off the ground. In the chaos, Asra was able to get away. He tried to catch up to the kid, wanting to give him a gold for his trouble, but he had lost sight of him.

By the time he got back to the town square, the crowd had dispersed slightly. Alexa had packed up her violin and was counting her earnings. Thia stood nearby, looking at Asra disapprovingly. He smiled and shrugged.

"Well, that was fun," he said.

"Shall we go back to the inn?" Alexa asked. "Get some lunch? Maybe Volin will be back."

"Oh, yay, and then we'll get to work!" Asra said sarcastically, waving his hands. He dropped them. "Yeah, fine. Hey, speaking of lunch..." he said as they began to walk back. "Have either of you been hungry since you woke up?"

Thia shook her head. Alexa looked puzzled for a moment.

"Now that you mention it..." she said. "I haven't."

"I almost wish I'd listened to that guy who told us all the rules. Almost. I wonder if we _need_ to eat?" Asra said.

"Even if we don't, it would be pretty sad to never eat again," Alexa said.

"Well, we ate breakfast this morning, so I think it's _safe_ to eat."

"Do either of you ever talk about anything important?" Thia asked.

Asra put a hand to his chest in mock offense. "How dare you! Food is extremely important."

Alexa laughed and Thia shook her head.

* * *

Lord Marten Bayley had a fairly large estate, on a vineyard. Asra immediately disliked him. He didn't like rich people in general. But, as the four of them were invited inside by the butler, he didn't think he had much of a choice to help. To keep himself entertained while the lord introduced himself and explained the situation with his daughter, Asra looked around for things that could be easily stolen. He had no real intention of robbing this man, but it was always a fun game to pretend.

Lord Bayley explained that his daughter had been kidnapped from her room in the dead of night, and impressed upon them the need to keep this quiet. Nobles did always somehow manage to get themselves into scandals, Asra thought.

"We should investigate her room, then," Thia said.

"Yes, of course," Lord Bayley said. "Figginsworth will show you where it is. And, if you get a chance, you should talk to Madilyn. She knows the most about what happened." He gestured to the elven butler and then looked at Volin. "I believe you and I have business to discuss."

Volin inclined his head and followed Lord Bayley into his study. The butler led the other three devils down the hall to another room and opened the door.

"Can you bring Madilyn to us?" Thia asked.

The butler nodded and left with a small bow.

Asra went inside the bedroom. At first glance, there didn't appear to be anything amiss. Although, Asra had very little frame of reference. He had never once lived in a permanent structure of any kind. The room could be immaculate, or a disaster, for all he knew. He decided to leave the real investigating for Alexa and Thia and started snooping.

Under the mattress, he found a diary. He sat down on the bed, opening it to a random page. Most of the entries were boring, though he found several mentions of a Del—evidently a noble from a neighboring village who Clarissa was interested in.

The thing that interested him the most were the dates. He had never much cared about what day or month it was, as it never really mattered, but he usually tried to keep track of the year. And that was enough to let him know that probably only a month or less had passed since he’d died. 

"Apparently, two months ago she was attacked," Asra said, frowning at the entry and trying to distract himself from dour thoughts. 

"Really?" Alexa asked, turning around from the wardrobe she'd been looking through.

"Mm. Something attacked her carriage while she was on the way back from a neighboring town. Some sort of fancy event at this Del's house," Asra said, reading. "About two months ago. And she's been having nightmares… That's about the only interesting stuff in here." He tucked the diary into a pocket in his coat just as there was a light knock on the doorframe.

A human woman entered, wearing the staff uniform. She looked tired and worried.

"Hello," she said. "My name's Madilyn. I'm… Clarissa's handmaiden."

Thia looked at her. "What do you know about what happened to Clarissa?" she asked.

"It was a normal night," Madilyn said, looking troubled. "Clarissa had been having some trouble sleeping, so I was in her room quite late. Keeping her company. Eventually she fell asleep and I retired to my room. It's nearby, so I woke easily when I heard a noise from in here. It sounded like a loud crash and… and some sort of animal, maybe. Like a growl. I ran in and the windows were open and there was a man standing in the sill. I couldn't see Clarissa but there was… something moving around. Something big. I'm not sure, it was too dark to see. I ran to get help and by the time I got back the room was empty. There was no trace of Clarissa or the man."

Thia's face was very carefully guarded, but Asra could tell she was beginning to come to some sort of conclusion. _Good,_ he thought. _Someone competent._ With her here, it was unlikely he would have to do any actual work.

"What d'you know about Del?" Asra asked.

"Oh, he's a nice boy," Madilyn said. "He and Clarissa are quite close friends."

"You said Clarissa was having trouble sleeping," Alexa said. "Did she mention nightmares?"

Madilyn shook her head. "Not that I can remember."

"Thank you," Thia said. "You may go."

"Of course," Madilyn said, with a polite bow. "If there's anything else I can do to help..."

After she left, Thia walked over and looked curiously at the window sill. Asra flopped backward and lay on the bed, looking upside down at her.

"Wanna share with the class?" he asked.

"Normal wear and tear around the window. Nothing out of the ordinary. Safe drop to the bushes outside."

Asra rolled his eyes. "No, I mean you clearly have some idea what's going on."

Alexa sat down on the bed near him and almost immediately started looking curiously at the sheets. _Counting the threads_, Asra thought. She dressed enough like a noble to have been one in her past life. Instead, though, she leaned over and pointed at something.

"Look here, the sheets are ripped."

Asra rolled over and pulled one of the torn segments into his hands. "Too messy to have been a knife—unless it was really dull—but too clean to have been human hands. Madilyn did say she heard an animal in here."

"There's no blood," Alexa said.

"There wouldn't be, if Clarissa was the animal," Thia said quietly, looking troubled. "I believe we could be dealing with a lycan."

"You think she's a werewolf?" Asra asked, skeptically. Maybe he _was _going to have to do some work. He shifted back and stood up. "That's possibly the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. It was the boyfriend, right? It's gotta be. It's _always_ the boyfriend."

Thia frowned. "Her carriage was attacked. It's possible she was injured. If she was attacked by a lycanthrope, that would be enough to infect her. I don't know who this man was, but how else do you explain an animal in her room and her disappearing without a struggle?"

"Maybe she wasn't kidnapped," Asra said. "Maybe she just hated being around stuffy rich people and ran away to join the circus or something."

Alexa hummed. "That's a good point, actually. We should talk to that boyfriend, then. See if he knows anything. He might have helped her run away."

"Should probably talk to the carriage driver, too," Asra sighed. "See what attacked them."

* * *

"Soo… weird unknown monster attacks the carriage, kills a horse, runs off—"

"Excuse me!"

"—weird unknown monster and also a dude in Clarissa's room—"

"Hush." Thia held up a hand, stopping Alexa's conjectures. They were walking through town, heading to the apothecary to speak to the healer who had treated Clarissa after the attack. The driver—Tedric—had told them about the attack, though the details were vague. Tomorrow, they were going to go investigate the site to see if anything was left after two months. Asra did not have high hopes.

At the moment, however, they were being approached by an old woman. Or, rather, Thia was being approached. She was wearing robes, bearing a symbol Asra had seen on Thia's armor—a silver flame. He had no idea what it meant, but judging by this old woman's attire, he was beginning to suspect it was a church. Which suddenly made Thia's identity extremely funny to him. A holy soldier turned devil.

As Thia spoke to her, Asra stepped back to stand next to Alexa.

"Hey, d'you think we'd burst into flames if we went into a church?" he asked quietly.

Alexa's eyes widened and then she looked thoughtful. "Ooh, I don't know. Do you want to try?"

"Absolutely not."

"Oh come on."

"It was my idea, you should do it."

"Just stick a foot in."

"You stick a foot in."

"What are you two arguing about?"

Both Asra and Alexa looked over to see Thia frowning at them. The old woman was gone.

"What was that about?" Asra asked.

"Evidently there is a church of my ord—my _old_ order here," Thia said. "Which may turn out to be beneficial, should we be dealing with lycanthropes."

"Why, is it like a werewolf church or something?" Asra asked.

"Almost entirely the opposite," Thia said. "It is an order dedicated to eradicating werewolves."

"Oh, cool, a genocide church," Asra said.

"Lycanthropes are monsters," Thia said, as if she was speaking to a toddler.

Asra grinned and waggled his eyebrows. "So are devils," he said, walking past her. As he did, he spotted the sign of the apothecary and pointed it out, whistling sharply.

"Ah, perfect, I hope they're still open," Alexa said. She trotted up to the door and opened it, setting off a small bell. As the three of them entered, they were greeted by an elven woman behind the counter of the small shop.

"Hello, welcome to Viridian's Apothecary. Are you looking for something in particular?" she asked, smiling brightly though she looked a bit tired.

"Information, actually," Alexa said, stepping forward with a charming smile. Asra looked around at the shelves, wondering if she had a back room.

"We're investigators, working for Lord Bayley," Alexa went on. "We were told you treated Clarissa a few months ago for some injuries. We were hoping we could get some more information about that. Do you have any idea what caused the injuries?"

"Oh, um… As I recall, they weren't terribly serious. Some scratches. Dealt by a large animal of some sort, though it's hard to say what type. A wolf, or a wild cat perhaps. She's very lucky she wasn't more seriously injured. She healed well, without infection." She looked thoughtful for a moment. "I'm sorry I don't have more information, though I'm not exactly sure what you're looking for..."

"Oh, that's all right," Alexa said. "We're just gathering everything we can at this point. Thank you for your help."

"Of course. Would you like to buy anything, while you're here?"

"Do you have healing potions?" Thia asked.

"Oh, yes, I do." Viridian bent down and pulled a box out from under the counter, opening it to reveal several bottles and vials. They each bought a few, to be prudent.

"Anything else?" Viridian asked, putting the potion box away. "I have all manner of healing herbs, potions, even a large selection of teas over there."

Asra leaned on the counter, with his most charming smile. "Do you have anything… you know, fun?"

The elf blinked and her verdant gaze flicked briefly over to Thia and then back to Asra, hesitating. Asra looked at Thia.

"You're not a narc, are you?"

"What? Oh. Do what you want."

He smiled and returned his gaze to Viridian.

"Oh… I might have something…" she said quietly. Asra heard a distinct click under the counter and a moment later she placed a small box on the counter. She put her hand on top of it. "It's quite potent—"

"Darling, look at me. I know what I'm doing."

She smiled. "Fair enough. It's a gold a piece. This is hard to come by out here."

"Yeah, yeah." Asra pulled five gold out of his bag and handed it over. Viridian put several leaves into a small bag and handed it over. Asra tucked it into his coat.

"Pleasure doing business with you," the elf said, hiding the box away again.

Thia sighed. "Are we done here?"

"Mmhm," Asra hummed, walking past her out the door. Thia and Alexa followed him out and they stood in the street for a moment. The sky was beginning to get dark as the sun dipped below the horizon.

"Back to the inn?" Alexa asked, after a moment. "I'm sure Volin will want an update."

"On all our great progress," Asra said sarcastically.

Alexa laughed lightly. "Well, we can ask him about going into churches, at least."

"Good point, good point..." 


	4. Wealdstone: Devil Sight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we look at a dead horse

"This seems…"

"Muddy."

Asra turned, watching as Alexa very carefully picked her way around a bush, making a face as her boot squelched in the mud. He laughed.

"What's wrong, princess? Not a fan of the great outdoors?"

"I prefer the great indoors, thank you very much," Alexa said.

Asra ducked under a tree branch. "Anyway, no, I was going to say 'pointless'."

"Don't be a pessimist," Alexa said. "We're looking for clues!"

"We're looking for a two month old horse corpse, that's not a clue," Asra lamented.

"Everything is a clue, haven't you ever read a mystery novel?"

"Gross, you read?"

A sharp whistle got their attention and Asra looked over to see Thia, further away, beckoning to them. Asra and Alexa made their way to her side to see she had found the skeleton of a horse. It had been entirely picked clean by scavenging animals, leaving only bones behind. Several of the bones had tooth and claw marks on them, though it was hard to tell if they were left by the thing that had originally killed the horse, or the animals who had come in later to eat it.

"Someone's got big teeth," Alexa commented, pointing out large marks on one of the leg bones.

"Anyone know anything about animals?" Asra asked. Thia didn't respond and Alexa shook her head.

"Let's keep going," Thia said, looking at the surrounding undergrowth. "It looks like something large went through here."

She led the way further into the woods, following a trail of broken branches until they arrived in a clearing. It was almost perfectly circular around a large rock. It looked as though a fight had taken place. Broken branches littered the ground where grass had been torn up, the surrounding trees were marred with scratches, and the rock in the center was stained with dried blood.

They spread out, searching the clearing for any clues. Thia quickly pointed out footprints. The ground was scuffled enough it was difficult to make a definitive judgement, but they looked like boots. There were some sort of animal tracks as well. Something large and wolf-like, but too big to be any animal Asra knew of.

_Deirdre would know,_ Asra thought, almost wishing he had ever paid attention when she tried to teach him about animals. But she wasn't here now, and if she was, she'd probably tell her leopard to eat him. That thought did give him an idea, though.

"I wonder if any druids live around here," he said. "They would know about strange creatures in the woods."

"The loggers might, as well," Thia said. "And may be easier to find than druids."

"Well, I suggest we go to talk to Del first," Alexa said. "Before we go tromping around in the woods looking for lumberjacks and druids."

"You just don't want to get your boots dirty," Asra said, grinning.

"My boots are already dirty," she replied, heading back along the trail toward the road.

* * *

"Another vineyard?"

"I guess we're in wine country."

Asra grimaced. "That would be great if I could get drunk anymore." He looked around as they approached the door. Another manor. Another vineyard. Another rich person. He sighed, and then movement caught his eye.

"Oh, a cat," he said, crouching and holding his hand out. The cat trotted over and rubbed against him. He scratched it between the ears and along its back, as Thia knocked on the front door. A butler answered and informed them Del was out, currently, but they were welcome to wait until he returned. Asra reluctantly stopped petting the cat and followed his companions inside, where they were led into a sort of parlor to wait.

Alexa sat down on one of the sofas. Asra wandered over to a bookshelf and picked up one of the expensive looking knick-knacks.

"It seems weird that they would just leave us in here," Asra commented, turning what appeared to be a ceramic egg, studded with a few small jewels, over in his hand.

"It's standard," Alexa said. "Haven't you ever been in a place like this before?"

"Absolutely not, how dare you," Asra replied. "All I'm saying is I could pocket like six things right now. Why isn't there a guard?"

"I suppose they don't normally have thieves in their living room."

Asra smiled and placed the egg back on the shelf. "You don't know a thief until they steal from you," he pointed out, going over to sit down on another sofa.

A few minutes passed before the door opened and a young human man entered, dressed in riding gear. He looked curiously over them all—Asra imagined they were quite the odd group—and then smiled.

"I'm told you were looking for me?" he asked.

"If you're Del, then yes," Alexa said. "We have some questions for you regarding a… sensitive matter."

"Oh… all right," he said, uncertainly, and closed the door behind him. He walked over and sat down in a chair. "Do you mind if I ask who you are? And what this is about?"

"We're investigators," Alexa said. "We're working for Lord Bayley. I believe you know his daughter Clarissa?"

"Yes, I do. Is she all right?"

"When was the last time you saw her?" Alexa asked, ignoring his question.

"Umm… about two or three weeks ago, I think. My father was meeting with Lord Bayley about some 'business'. I'm not sure what it was. I didn't really talk to her, then, though."

"Really?" Asra asked. "Why not? From what I could tell, the two of you were pretty close."

The boy looked uncomfortable. "We're friends," he said, somewhat pointedly. Then he sighed. "We had a gala a few months ago and she came. We were out in the gardens near the end of the night and she… um, she kissed me. I didn't… I mean, I don't feel that way about her, and she got upset. So things have been sort of… awkward since then. I haven't seen her, except for a few weeks ago."

There was something about Del's tone that made Asra fairly sure the boy didn't feel 'that way' about _any _girls, but he wasn't going to ask. He was a bit disappointed, if he was being honest. If Del had been the one to either kidnap Clarissa or help her run away, they could have easily wrapped this case up and gone on home. Although, when he realized that 'home' now meant 'Hell', he was a little less eager to be done here.

He was still pretty certain Thia was overzealous about the werewolf thing—especially after learning she was part of an order obsessed with killing them. She must see werewolves everywhere. Asra was of the opinion that regular old people were usually the worst monsters.

"You have anyone else interested in you?" Asra asked. "Anyone who might be jealous if they thought you and Clarissa were together?"

Alexa looked at him, puzzled for a moment before her gaze cleared and she realized where his mind had gone.

Del thought for a moment. "Not that I know of," he said. "Will you please tell me what's going on? You're talking like something bad has happened to Clarissa."

"It's a delicate matter, you understand," Alexa said. "So it doesn't leave this room."

Del nodded.

"Clarissa has gone missing."

"What?" he asked, startled. His reaction was genuine, Asra thought. Unless the boy was a better actor than anyone Asra had ever met, he hadn't had a clue about Clarissa's predicament.

"Would Clarissa have been the type to run away?" Asra asked. "Did she ever talk about travelling? Was she rebellious? Did she get along with her family?"

"As… as far as I know, she was happy," Del said, still stunned. "I can't imagine her running away."

"Would she come to you for help, if she needed it?" Thia asked. She had been oddly quiet thus far, deep in thought.

"Maybe," Del said. He looked down, clearly troubled.

Alexa looked at Thia. "What are you thinking?"

"He may be in danger," she replied.

"Wait, what?" Del asked, alarmed. "Why would I be in danger?"

"Clarissa may be dangerous—" Thia said.

"Or," Asra interrupted, flashing her a warning glance, "whoever kidnapped her."

Thia frowned.

"You're connected to her, is all we're saying. So until we solve this, you could be in danger," Alexa said.

"What should I do?"

Asra huffed. "Watch your back?"

"Ignore him," Alexa said. "Um… maybe it would be better for you to come back to Wealdstone with us? You could stay with Lord Bayley, until this is all solved. That way we could make sure you're safe."

Del thought for a moment and then sighed and nodded. "Let me… pack, I guess. I'll only be a moment."

* * *

It was after sunset when Asra met Thia and Alexa back at the inn. The two women had taken all of their weapons to the blacksmith to get them silvered. Asra still, personally, thought Thia was being overcautious, but he had given them his sword as well, figuring it couldn't hurt. He, meanwhile, had gone to the Bayley manor to check on Del. Marten had been perfectly happy to let the boy stay until everything was taken care of.

There had been a brief moment of awkwardness when they had arrived, where Lord Bayley had been talking to a merchant called Tibor Hall—a man Asra recognized as being someone he had attempted to pickpocket on his first day in town. Luckily, he hadn't been paying too much attention and didn't seem to notice Asra trying to hide behind Del—someone at least a foot shorter than him.

Asra had spent at least an hour with the boy, after offering to read his fortune. He had faked the entire thing, suspecting that Del needed reassurance rather than truth. It had been reassuring for Asra, as well. His cards hadn't been working properly since he had woken up in Hell, it was at least nice to know he still remembered how to use the deck—even without the Arcana whispering in his ears.

It seemed like another day of wasting Drekker's time in the books, until he walked into his hotel room and saw a note on his pillow. Asra picked it up and unfolded it, seeing handwriting he didn't recognize.

_We need to talk. I have information about Clarissa. Talk to the barkeeper at The Hobbled Mare and give him this note._

Asra sighed. "Fantastic," he muttered. He left the room and saw Alexa stepping out of her room, and Thia too. Both of them were holding similar pieces of paper. Asra held his up.

"Did you get summoned as well?"

Alexa nodded. "To some place called The Hobbled Mare?"

"We should be wary," Thia said. "It could be a trap."

"Could be," Asra agreed. "Could also be literally our only lead."

Wealdstone wasn't an exceptionally large town, and as such it didn't take them much of a walk to find the inn they were looking for. It was on the richer side of town and seemed to be fairly lively. They walked in, straight up to the bar, and presented their notes. The barkeep looked them all over briefly and then nodded.

"Follow me," he said, and led them through a door behind the bar. He took them down a hall into a back room, with little in it other than another door on the other side, which was closed. The barkeep left, closing the door behind them.

"What did you say about a trap?" Asra asked quietly, trying to open the door and finding it locked.

Before anyone could reply, the opposite door opened. A man entered. He was fairly handsome and seemed to be human, wearing well-fitted, expensive clothes. He looked them over, with a carefully neutral expression. His eyes briefly seemed to glow and his expression morphed into a thin, unamused smile.

"Well, I'm surprised you all came. Let's get down to business. What are you doing in Wealdstone? What does Drekker'Vas want with this town?"

They all stared at him, confused.

"Wh—uh… who?" Asra asked. "What do you know about Clarissa?"

The man narrowed his eyes. "Don't play dumb with me. What are you doing here?"

"He meant who are you?" Alexa amended.

"My name is Reh'dad. Now, answer my question."

"No. Let me out of here," Asra said, trying to open the door again.

The devil growled. "Tell me what Drekker wants with this town."

"We don't know," Alexa said.

"You don't know," Reh'dad echoed, disbelieving.

"We don't! Let me out!" Asra said, banging on the door.

"You're lying!"

"Look at us, we're stupid!" Asra said.

Alexa nodded fervently. "We've only been alive for like a month. Drekker hasn't told us anything."

Asra kicked the door. "Let me out!"

Reh'dad made a frustrated noise. "Fine! But I'll be keeping an eye on you."

"Ooh, I'm real scared," Asra said, kicking the door again. He heard a click as it unlocked and he opened it, not waiting for the others as he left the inn. Alexa and Thia were close behind him, though, as he walked into the street.

Asra led the way back toward their inn, in a worse mood. "Why do so many devils want this stupid little town?" he hissed.

"And how did that guy know we were devils?" Alexa wondered. "We should probably tell Volin about this."

"Yeah, probably."

They made it back to their inn and hurried up the stairs to Volin's room. Asra knocked a quick rhythm out with both hands, loudly.

"It's us!" he said.

After a moment the door opened, not enough to let them in.

"Yes?" Volin asked. "Do you have any new leads?"

"We thought we did," Alexa said. "Some guy left us notes telling us he knew something about Clarissa, but it turns out he was a devil and he got pretty mad at us."

Volin blinked, startled. "A devil?" He glanced around and then stepped back, gesturing for them to come in. They walked inside and Asra was immediately dismayed by the amount of books and scrolls around the room.

"Who was this devil?" Volin asked. "What did he tell you?"

"He said he was our dad or something," Asra said, opening one of the books before quickly deciding it looked too boring and letting the cover fall back closed.

"No he didn't," Alexa said.

"Reh'dad," Thia said, impatiently.

"Yeah, that," Asra agreed. "He wanted to know what Drekker wants with this place."

"And what did you tell him?" Volin asked.

"The truth," Asra said. "That we're dumbasses and we have no idea."

"He got annoyed and let us leave," Alexa said, nodding.

"I'm very annoying," Asra said.

"I'm sure," Volin said. "Well, that is... interesting news. Thank you for telling me."

"I have a question," Alexa said and Volin looked at her. "How did he know we were devils? Or that we worked for Drekker?"

"Yeah, did Drekker give us like nametags that I didn't notice?" Asra asked, twisting around and trying to see the back of his coat to make sure Drekker hadn't stuck a 'kill me' sign on him.

"Oh, no, all devils can see other devils and know who they work for," Volin said. He paused, taking in their dumbfounded expressions. "No one told you?"

"No one tells us anything," Alexa said.

"Well, in that case, there are a few things you can do," Volin said. "Not only can you see other devils and who they work for, you should also be able to change your appearance a bit. Give it a try."

Asra closed his eyes. He knew already how to tap into his Celestial blood to give himself a different appearance. He had used that trick more than a few times to scare people. He suspected this was a similar process. He hadn't wanted to get too deep into his own mind, lately, and as he focused now he found it had changed. Familiar, but warped by his rebirth. Still, it was familiar enough that he knew how to manipulate it.

"Holy shit!"

Asra opened his eyes and looked at Alexa. She was staring at him with wide eyes. Asra pulled a small folding mirror out of his pocket and looked into it. He had given himself horns and fangs. His eyes were solid black. He blinked, shifting them to gold irises against black sclera. Curiously, he tapped into his Celestial magic. Ragged, skeletal wings unfolded from his back.

"I just need some demon blood and I'll be a veritable map of the planar system," he muttered, concentrating again and shifting his appearance back to normal.

Alexa blinked and her eyes glowed briefly. "Oh!" she said. "I figured it out."

Asra narrowed his eyes, focusing on that Infernal hum again. His vision blurred slightly and suddenly there was a faint aura around Alexa. Names filtered into his mind, listing the hierarchy above her. He blinked and the vision vanished.

"Huh."

Volin looked between the three of them. "Is that all, then? You don't have any news about the case?"

"As we told Reh'dad, we're stupid," Asra said.

"I'm sure you're doing your best," he replied, gently shooing them toward the door. "And we have a month, so it's not urgent yet."

"Yeah, but does a month mean a month, or does a month mean 'we'd really prefer it if you didn't take a month'?" Alexa asked.

"Well..."

"Gotcha," Asra sighed. "Night, Volin."

"I wonder what other secret powers we have," Alexa mused as they stepped back out into the hallway. Thia immediately headed to her room, evidently not wanting to chat.

"One that makes us good at our jobs, hopefully."

Alexa laughed. "Yeah… Drekker really drew the short straw when he got us, huh?"

Asra snorted. "For sure. Goodnight, Alexa."

"Night," she replied, and went to her room.

Asra went into his room and locked the door. He flopped down on the bed and kicked his boots off, pressing the heels of his hands against closed eyes. He dropped his hands and found his tarot cards, pulling them out of their bag. Silence.

"Why won't you talk to me?" he whispered. With no reply, he put them away and rolled onto his side, pulling a pillow into his arms and shoving his face against it and trying very hard not to think about a place somewhere else in the world—maybe even nearby—where a show was being put on right now, or performers were resting up for a day of travel.

Asra's grip tightened, and he sighed shakily.

"Sweet dreams, wherever you are." 


	5. Wealdstone: Wild Squonk Chase

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> the competent woman is gone, meet team idiot gay

“Can you hear that?” 

“Hear what?” Asra asked. He looked at Alexa, who had stopped moving and was standing in the middle of the street, squinting and looking around. The two of them were on their way to the blacksmith to pick up their silvered weapons. Asra half expected to meet Thia there, as she hadn’t been at the inn that morning. He suspected she had gotten tired of being slowed down by them and gone ahead on her own.

He snapped his fingers in front of Alexa’s face. 

“You good?” 

“Shush,” Alexa said, holding up a finger. “Just… hang on.” She turned, slowly, listening, and then headed off down a side street. 

Asra threw his hands in the air and she ignored him. He sighed and trotted to catch up to her. Alexa led him through the cobbled streets, into the nicer part of town, and as they went, Asra began to hear something as well—though it was more of a feeling than a sound. 

“What _is_ that?” Asra asked. 

“You hear it now?” 

He nodded. Alexa paused, squinting, and then walked over to a nearby house and stood up on her toes, looking in the front window. Asra looked over her and saw an odd scene. 

There was a teenage human, kneeling in front of a slightly clumsily drawn pentagram on the floor. He was speaking stuttering Infernal, though, as they listened, Asra was pretty sure he was reciting a recipe for pie. 

“Is he… trying to summon a devil?” Alexa asked quietly, dropping back down to her heels. 

“This could be fun,” Asra said. He stepped up onto the stoop and knocked. Through the door, he heard a startled yelp and a crash. A few moments later the door opened. 

“Um… my parents aren’t home, can you come back later?” the boy said. 

Asra blinked, making his eyes black, and bared sharp teeth. “You called?” 

The boy’s eyes shot wide and he looked between them and then nodded and beckoned them inside, looking around surreptitiously before shutting the door after them. He led them into the living room, where Asra could see the hastily concealed pentagram. Now that he was inside, he could also see that the star actually had six points. He had literally no idea how this ritual had even come close to working. 

“You’re… you’re devils?” the boy asked, nervous. 

“That is what you were trying to summon, isn’t it?” Alexa asked.

“Yes. Yes, it was. I want to make a deal.” 

“Of course, that’s why we’re here,” Asra said. He lifted a hand and snapped, imitating the woman he had sold his own soul to. To his surprise, a small scroll and a red feathered quill appeared in his hand. He hid his reaction and sat down on one of the couches, unrolling the parchment and readying the quill. 

“Now, what would you like in return for your soul?” 

At the word ‘soul’ the boy paled a bit. He took a breath and steadied himself. “There’s this guy—Waylon Hall. He’s a jerk—” 

“You want us to kill him?” Asra guessed. 

“No!” the boy exclaimed. “I-I just… want you to teach him a lesson…” 

Asra started writing, trying to mimic the verbiage of the contract Volin had shown them. As he did, Alexa looked concernedly at the “summoning spell” the boy had been reciting. 

“Where’d you get this ritual?” she asked. 

“O-oh, uh, Josephine told me about devils,” he said. “She knows about all kinds of monsters—” He paled. “Not that you’re monsters!” 

“Relax, kid,” Asra said, looking over his handiwork. He frowned. It didn’t seem right, somehow. He knew this was his job now, but… 

“Are you sure this is all you want?” he asked. 

The boy looked at him. “What?” he asked. 

“This is your _soul_,” Asra said. “You really wanna hand that over just to get some kid beat up? Think bigger! What do you _want_? Riches? Fame?” 

The boy’s eyes widened. “Really? Um… I don’t… really need anything, but my aunt… She could use money.” 

“How much?” Asra asked. 

“Um… a… a thousand gold?” 

“Why stop at gold?” Asra offered. “Why not a thousand platinum?” 

“Oh, wow,” the boy said, excited. “You can do that?” 

“Of course! And why stop there? We could make her a duchess!” 

“Or queen!” Alexa interjected. 

“Yeah!” the boy exclaimed. 

Asra amended the contract with the new additions. He held it out, with the quill. “One soul in exchange for the ass kicking of a bully and a fortune and territory granted to your aunt. Sign in blood, please. On the line.” 

The boy found a knife and pricked his finger, touching the tip of the quill to it. He scratched out his name on the contract and handed it back. 

“Wonderful!” Asra said. “What was that kid’s name again? Waylon? Where can we find him?” 

“He usually hangs out near the waterfront at night,” he said. “You’ll know him when you see him. He thinks he’s better than the rest of us just because his dad owns the shipping yard. I just want you to hurt him a little and tell him it was from me.” 

“And what’s your name?” 

“Barthem.” 

Asra nodded, standing up. “It will be done, your wish is my command, and so on and so forth. Nice doing business with you!” 

He and Alexa left the house and started back on their path to the blacksmith. It was still early morning and the streets were just beginning to get busy as they made their way back to the main road and down to the blacksmith’s shop. Asra hadn’t been here before, but the dwarf inside seemed to recognize Alexa. 

“Ah, welcome back,” he said. “Just a moment, I’ll get your weapons for you. How would you like to be paying?” 

Asra looked at her as the dwarf headed into the back. “You didn’t pay?” he asked quietly. 

Alexa shook her head. “We don’t have any money!” she hissed. 

“So you thought you’d just give him our weapons as collateral?” 

The dwarf returned with an armload of weapons and laid them on the counter. Alexa stepped forward with a charming smile. 

“Our employer will be paying for these,” she said. 

“All right, I’ll open up a tab for them. Who is it?” the dwarf asked. 

“His name is Reh’dad,” Alexa said and Asra had to turn away as he struggled to maintain his composure. “He owns The Hobbled Mare inn.” 

The dwarf nodded. “I’ve done work for him before, I’ll add these onto his bill.” 

Asra arranged his face into a polite smile as he picked his sword up off the counter and sheathed it. 

“Thank you so much,” Alexa said, taking her rapier. “Our friend will be in to pick up her weapon later.” 

The two devils quickly left, waiting until they were at least a block away before bursting into laughter. 

“I can’t believe that worked!” Alexa giggled. 

“I don’t know how you did that with a straight face!” Asra said. 

They walked, aimless, down the main road, away from the river, eventually ending up in a market square. It was beginning to get warm as the sun rose higher in the sky, promising a hot day. The air smelled of baked goods and coffee, and vendors were setting up stalls. 

“Must be market day,” Asra said. It felt so normal, he could almost forget he was a devil. 

“I thought we’d have found Thia by now,” Alexa commented. 

“Maybe she went to the church?” Asra offered. He didn’t necessarily care one way or the other. Maybe she would solve the case by herself while he and Alexa had coffee. 

“What do you think we should do?” she asked. 

“Umm…” He looked around. “Get… brunch?” he said. 

“I meant for the case, but I’m down for brunch. Maybe we should see if we can find that Josephine lady the kid mentioned. He said she knows about monsters.” 

“Should be easy. We don’t know what she looks like or where she lives.” 

Alexa blinked. “Ah. Good point. Let’s just get brunch, then.” 

They wandered through the market and found a bright, airy cafe. A few people were inside, enjoying coffee and freshly baked pastries. As the two devils walked inside, a woman breezed past with a pot of coffee. 

“Good morning,” she said to them, on her way. “Need a top off, Josephine?” 

Alexa halted and looked at Asra disbelievingly. Asra looked over and watched her pour a fresh cup of coffee for an old woman sitting at a table near the windows. He tilted his head toward her and turned back to Alexa. 

“Go talk to her,” he said quietly. 

“Fine. Get me some coffee.” Alexa walked over to the table and introduced herself to Josephine, while Asra went to the counter and ordered for them both. By the time Asra reached the table, Alexa was spinning some story about them being amateur monster hunters and explaining that Barthem had told them Josephine knew about all kinds of creatures. 

“Oh, Bart’s a nice boy, isn’t he?” Josephine said, as Asra sat down next to Alexa and handed her a cup of coffee. 

As it turned out, the old woman _was _quite knowledgeable about local legends. She also seemed to have no concept of time and rambled on for hours, just happy for someone to listen to her stories. She told them about a supposed river monster that was seen by workers on the pier or the barges; a possible werewolf who might have also just been a man with a hunger for red meat who was killed during the last werewolf purge; and, most promising, a story from the lumberyards about a strange, large wolf that seemed to lead the other wolves in the area. 

It was near midday when Asra and Alexa finally managed to dismiss themselves from the conversation and went to find the lumberyard. 

It wasn’t an exceptionally difficult place to find, as it was one of the main sources of income of Wealdstone. It was a decently sized operation and currently busy with workers—sorting through logs and cutting them into uniform sizes for transport. 

“Excuse me!” Alexa said, getting the attention of a nearby worker. He put down his tools and walked over. 

“You folks need something?” he asked. 

“We’re writers,” Alexa said. “We’re making a book about unusual creatures in these forests. Someone in town told us to come here and ask around.” 

“Strange creatures, huh? You should talk to Andy, then!” he turned and shouted. “Hey! Andy! Get over here.” 

Another man walked over. “What?” 

“These folks wanna hear about monsters. What was that thing you were talkin’ about the other day?” 

“Oh, the gumberoo!” 

“The what?” Asra asked. 

“Well, I was out in the forest, roundabouts a mile that way, and I heard this racket—all manner of squeakin’ and shriekin’ and I turn around and I see a big ol’ thing like a bear without fur.” 

Alexa made a face. “Could that kill a horse?” 

“Oh, certainly! A gumberoo’ll kill anything in its way. They got real nasty teeth and you can’t kill ‘em with anything but fire.” 

Another lumberjack approached. “Tell them about the squonk!” she said, excitedly. 

“Squonk?” Alexa echoed. 

“Wretched little things,” she said, holding her hands up to indicate a small creature. “You’ll hear them crying out in the woods, but they always hide ‘cause they’re so embarrassed about how ugly they are.” 

“Yeah, I caught one once,” the first man said, nodding. “Had it in a little bag and everything and then the bag got light all of a sudden and I looked in and it had cried itself into a puddle.” 

Asra exchanged a glance with Alexa, beginning to get the feeling these lumberjacks were making fun of them. 

“What about the hidebehinds?” another worker piped up. They had attracted quite a crowd at this point. 

“Hidebehinds?” Asra asked, skeptical. 

Andy nodded sagely. “You hear ‘em behind you, but the second you turn around they hide behind somethin’. If you let ‘em get too close, you’ll never be seen again—”

“Hey! Back to work!” a new voice shouted. A large, orcish woman walked over, shooing the lumberjacks away. They all hurried away, laughing to each other and confirming Asra’s suspicion. The woman looked at the two devils, arms akimbo. 

“My name is Helga,” she said, with a strong accent. “Welcome to my lumberyard. How can I help you?” 

“We’re writers, of a sort,” Alexa said. “Investigating certain reports of strange monsters in the area.” 

Helga scoffed. “If you want truth, you will talk to someone else,” she said. “If you want silly stories, this is good place.” 

“Have _you_ seen anything odd in these woods?” Alexa asked. 

“Nothing out of ordinary,” she said, shaking her head. 

“D’you know if there are any druid encampments in this area?” Asra asked. 

She nodded. “Yes, I know of one. We see them sometimes, but they mostly stay away.” 

Alexa fished around in her bag and brought out a map of the area that Volin had given them. “Can you show us where they are?” 

Helga marked out a spot on their map, about a half-days ride from Wealdstone, in the opposite direction. 

Asra and Alexa headed back into town and to their inn, deciding it would be better to wait until morning to hire horses to go visit the druids. It was late afternoon and the tavern was fairly empty when they arrived, though they didn’t pause to look around as they headed upstairs. 

Both of them knocked excitedly on Volin’s door. A few moments later, it opened. Volin took in their expressions and smiled. 

“You have a lead?” he guessed. 

“Oh,” Asra said, remembering that they were supposed to be working. “Maybe. But more importantly—we made a deal!” 

Volin’s smile remained, though it became a bit tense. “You did what?” 

“We made a deal!” Alexa said, nodding. 

An odd noise came out of the devil’s throat and he drummed his fingers on the door jamb. 

“Exciting,” he said, hopefully. “Come in, and let me take a look at the contract.” 

Volin opened the door further, backing up to let them in. As Asra walked into the room, he snapped, hoping the same trick worked twice. The contract reappeared in his hand and he gave it to Volin. 

He read it over quickly, struggling to maintain a neutral expression, and then looked at them. 

“Just… out of curiosity, where do you plan on getting a thousand platinum?” he asked. 

Asra shrugged. “Can’t devils just magic up money?” he asked, wiggling his fingers demonstratively. 

“No.” 

“Oh.” 

“And… how did you intend on making someone queen?” 

Alexa waved a hand. “It doesn’t have to be right away. I’m sure we can come up with some documents and arrange an assassination. That’s what devils are good at, right?” 

Volin exhaled slowly and walked over to the desk, picking up a quill and making notes next to Asra’s writing. 

“What if we got a thousand copper and transmuted it into platinum? Like the fae do with gold?” Asra suggested. “You know that story, where you get the gold and the next day its all turned into rocks or something?” 

“Do you know a fae?” Alexa asked curiously. 

“Yes, although I’m not sure where he’s at right now,” Asra said. 

Alexa opened her mouth, clearly baffled, but before she could speak, Volin interrupted. 

“Doing almost exactly that is what got a devil imprisoned in Stygia, so I wouldn’t advise it,” he said, still writing. 

“Oh,” Alexa said. “By the way, what happened to Thia? We haven’t seen her all day.” 

“She’s been… reassigned,” Volin said. He straightened up and handed the contract back to Asra. “I’ve made some… suggestions. It was a good first effort, but we _do_ have to fulfill these contracts, so in the future only offer things you can actually get,” he said, kindly. 

Asra groaned. “Can’t we just give up? I don’t want to go talk to him again.” 

“Just give it one more try,” Volin encouraged. 

“Come on,” Alexa said, pushing Asra toward the door. “It’ll be fun. Don’t you want to beat up that teenager?” 

“I do…” 

* * *

Asra stretched as he walked, trying to loosen up. He and Alexa had been wandering around the waterfront all evening, after going back to Barthem and renegotiating the contract with Volin’s suggested terms. His aunt was still going to get a minor noble title and a decent sum of gold, but Asra had to imagine it was disappointing after a thousand platinum. 

“Waylon!” 

Asra paused and turned toward the source of the voice as a few teenagers stumbled out of a tavern. The taller one responded to the name, though both of them seemed more than a little drunk. 

“That looks like a wealthy merchants son,” Alexa said. 

“He also looks like someone who’s just _begging_ to be decked,” Asra said, cracking his knuckles. “Hey! Waylon Hall!” he shouted, striding over toward the tavern. 

The man turned toward him. “What?” he asked. 

Asra shoved him into the alley and took a swing at him. There wasn’t much weight behind it. He didn’t want to knock him out so quickly. 

“Hey! What the fuck, man?” Waylon demanded, unsteadily trying to return the blow and only managing a light slap. 

“Fight, fight, fight,” Alexa chanted, clapping her hands. As she did, Waylon’s friend joined in. Other patrons came out to see what the ruckus was and encircled Waylon and Asra. Alexa got out her violin and started to play. 

Asra took another swing and the kid ducked. 

“Oh, come on,” he said. He grabbed Waylon’s shirt and dragged him close, baring his teeth. “This is from Barthem, by the way. This is what happens when you’re an asshole.” 

“Fuck off,” Waylon replied, trying to kick him. 

Asra grabbed his leg and jerked it up, flipping the kid onto his back on the cobblestone. He leaned over him, shifting his appearance and unfurling skeletal wings. He grinned, showing off sharp teeth. 

Waylon yelped, scrambling backward to his feet and trying to escape. The crowd blocked him in. 

“What’s the matter, kid?” Asra asked. “Where’d all that bravado go?” 

“Leave me alone! What the fuck are you?” 

_Good question_, Asra thought, and then decked him. He felt something crunch under his fist and shook his hand out as the kid crumpled back to the ground. Still conscious, with blood coming out of his nose. Asra kicked him in the stomach and crouched, shifting his appearance back to normal and smiling. 

“Now, have we learned our lesson about being a dick?” he asked. 

Waylon groaned, trying to crawl away from him. 

“I’ll take that as a yes. Enjoy the rest of your evening.” Asra straightened up, did a flourishing bow for the audience, and walked away.


	6. Wealdstone: Bad Vibes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra and Alexa and the No Good Very Bad Cave

“We have spent far too much time in the woods on this trip.” 

“We’ve been in the woods like… twice.” 

“Exactly.” 

Asra rolled his eyes and let go of the branch he had pushed out of the way, letting it lash back toward Alexa. He heard a rustle and an offended “Hey!” as she ducked. He laughed. 

He, personally, didn’t mind being in the woods, but he did agree that they had spent a lot of time chasing what felt like empty leads. They had been walking through the forest for an hour, now, after it had gotten too dense and tangled for their horses to traverse. It was nearing midday, judging by the occasional beams of sunlight that managed to pierce the canopy above, and they had yet to find any evidence of druids. 

Asra was about to start shouting when he heard a snap. It was an oddly familiar sound and, instinctively, he leapt backward, watching as a branch shot upward pulling a rope with it. Briefly, his mind flashed back to a time as a child when he had found himself hanging upside down from his ankle, with Deirdre laughing at him.

_Snare trap_, Asra realized, coming back to the present. Not one made for an animal, either. 

“Impressive,” a voice said. Asra looked up and saw an elf sitting on a tree branch, aiming a shortbow at him. 

“Hello,” Alexa said, in a friendly tone. “We’re looking for druids.” 

The elf tilted her head. “Why?” she asked, warily. 

“We just have some questions about weird animals in the woods,” she said. “Do you know where we can find them?” 

“Yes.” 

“Will you tell us?” 

“No.” 

Alexa frowned. “Why not?” 

The elf narrowed her eyes, not relaxing her aim. “Because I’m not an idiot. I know what you are, fiends.” 

“Ah…” 

Asra looked around, trying to see if they were being quietly surrounded. The woods seemed empty, to him, but he doubted that was the truth.

“Regardless of our _species_,” Asra said, “we really are just looking for information. Is there anything we can do for you to—” 

“I’m not about to make a deal with you,” she said sharply. 

“Great,” Asra said. “It’s pretty hard to do that accidentally so I don’t think you need to be so aggressive.” 

“I think we’ve gotten off on the wrong foot here,” Alexa said. “Let’s start over. Nice to meet you, I’m Alexa.” 

“Asra.” 

The elf was quiet for a moment, then sighed and lowered her bow, relaxing the string but keeping the arrow knocked. “Simfaerd,” she said. “I will take you to our encampment if you do something for me. There’s a cave nearby that has been infected with some sort of… darkness. Go there and clear it out.” 

“That’s it?” Asra asked. “Deal.” 

Simfaerd tensed, looking unamused. 

“Kidding, kidding…” 

Alexa pulled out her map. “Where is this cave?”

Simfaerd hopped gracefully down out of the tree and walked over, pointing out a spot on the map. “Around there,” she said. 

“Up for some spelunking, princess?” Asra asked. 

“I’m not a princess,” Alexa replied, folding up the map and stowing it. She walked past him, leading the way deeper into the forest. 

* * *

“This place feels weird.” 

Asra hummed in agreement. There was something strange about the cave. An oppressive, malignant air that got thicker the deeper they went. So far, they hadn’t encountered anything apart from a frog, but every nerve in Asra’s body was telling him to turn around and run. 

He squeezed through a narrow passage and found himself amongst mushrooms. They carpeted the floor and crept up the walls, stringy and damp, muffling the sound of his boots on the rock. He kicked a few of them lightly and they emitted a cloud of spores that made him cough. 

“Watch your step,” he warned as Alexa followed him through. 

“Ew,” she said and immediately stepped on some. Asra snorted, watching her cough and wave the spores out of her face. 

“I told you,” he said. They made their way carefully forward, until Alexa’s boot smacked into something that let out a glass ringing sound. She paused and bent down, picking something up. 

“Where did this—ah!” She startled backward, stirring up another cloud of spores. Asra turned around to see her with her scarf over her mouth and nose, peering at a mound of mushrooms and holding a glass orb in her hand. 

“What are you doing?” he asked. 

“There’s a body,” she said, voice muffled, and then straightened up. “But I found this!” She held out the orb. 

“What is it?” 

“I have no idea!” she said, and tucked it into her bag. 

Asra shook his head and they kept walking. The carpet of mushrooms thinned as the tunnel narrowed again. He ducked under a low overhang and came through into a large cavern. The feeling of dread was almost unbearable inside. The only sound, apart from their own breathing, was the slow dripping of water that echoed around the chamber. 

The damp floor was littered with humanoid bones and some other, less decomposed looking, mounds. Asra walked over to one of them and saw a journal lying nearby. He picked it up and flipped through it, quickly scanning the pages. 

“Seems like they were necromancers or something… something about demons… some sort of ritual… Ton-dur-zoith… why does that sound familiar?” 

Alexa suddenly shrieked and Asra turned around just as she called out a spell and he was deafened by an explosion of thunder. One of the skeletons, which had stood up, was flung bodily into Asra, knocking him down. 

The noise roused the other half-decomposed bodies, which lurched to their feet—bones snapping and popping as they were puppeted by magic. The undead on top of Asra let out a rattling growl and tried to bite him. Asra thrashed. 

“_Get off_!” he shouted in Celestial, shoving it back as radiant fire burst out of his hands. The thing shrieked and crumpled into a pile of lightly smoking bones. 

Asra got to his feet, drawing his sword as Alexa sliced through another undead, with two more advancing on her. Asra stabbed through one’s ribs, getting its attention, and then launched more radiant fire at it. Alexa pointed at the remaining undead and her lips moved. Asra heard nothing, but the skeleton suddenly writhed and shrieked before collapsing into a pile of bones and bloodied rags. 

“Remind me not to get on your bad side,” Asra said. “But _also_ can you not throw a fucking skeleton at me in the future?!” 

“Listen—” Alexa started, and was interrupted by another noise. Skittering—the ticking of claws on rock and water, slurping, and gnashing. 

Both devils turned slowly to look across the cavern as a shape crawled out from a smaller opening. It was difficult to take in, all at once, as it ran toward them snarling and spitting. It had no head and its body was split in half down the middle, bisected by a horrifying mess of teeth with a tongue lashing out, supported by squat legs. Clawed hands and bulbous eyes stuck out of its uneven mass in random places. 

“What the fuck is that?!” Asra yelped, beating it back with his sword as it tried to bite him. 

“A demon?” Alexa said, dancing backward and making a gesture. 

The creature shrieked and turned on her. Asra took a swipe at it, lopping off one of its fleshy arms. As he did, he focused. Alexa’s devil aura leapt up around her in his vision and the beast between them had an aura as well. It wasn’t a devil, that much was immediately obvious. Its aura was dark and chaotic and made him nauseous to look at. He blinked the vision away and launched a bolt of radiance at it as Alexa stabbed it in one orange eye with her rapier. It gnashed its teeth and tried to bite her. Asra stepped forward, slamming his sword down into the mouth, pinning it to the ground. Alexa stabbed it a few more times to get it to stop writhing. 

They both stood in silence for a few moments, breathing hard, and trying not to look at the bloodied mess on the ground. 

“That was… the worst thing… I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Asra said, yanking his sword out of the demon’s corpse and wiping it off on one of the undead’s rags.

Alexa nodded emphatically. She walked slowly over toward where the demon had come from and crouched, looking through the opening. 

“I don’t see any more demons… lots more corpses, though.” 

“Goody,” Asra said and followed her through the hole. It opened into a smaller cavern where a stone altar was set up. A few bodies were scattered around the room and one lay on the altar, clearly a sacrifice. 

As strong as the aura of dread had been in the larger cavern, it was suffocating in here. Asra’s body screamed at him to leave, but he forced himself to walk further inside. 

Alexa was standing perfectly still, staring at the figure on the altar, her face pale. Asra looked at it and for a moment its appearance blurred and shifted before settling on a human man. No one he recognized. 

“Do you know him?” he asked uncertainly. 

Alexa blinked and didn’t answer. She muttered the words for a spell and her eyes began to glow faintly as she looked around. 

“Necromancy… conjuration…” she murmured, to herself. “And… what _is_ that?” 

Asra walked over to the altar, eyes passing uninterestedly over the carvings in the stone, and picked up a bag, opening it to find gemstones. He turned, holding it up to show Alexa, and as he did his gaze fell on one of the corpses in the room. His breath caught in his throat.

It was a female tiefling, with lilac skin, dark purple hair matted with blood, and blue eyes open and dull. Her purple and black clothes were torn and bloody, like her body. 

“Krishna?” he said softly, voice shaking slightly. 

“What?” Alexa asked. 

Asra shook his head, closing his eyes. He opened them and blinked a few times and the tiefling had changed to an elven woman with blonde hair. 

“Let’s get out of here,” Asra said, looking away and feeling sick. 

“Gladly,” Alexa said. She ducked back into the main cavern and Asra followed.

They quickly hurried out of the cave, neither speaking until they were back in the forest. As they walked back toward where they had met Simfaerd, Asra divvied up the gemstones he had found and gave half of them to Alexa. She seemed as troubled as he felt and he wondered who she had seen. 

Just as they got to a place Asra thought he recognized, a voice spoke from above them. 

“You’re back.” Simfaerd sounded surprised and almost disappointed. She was sitting on a tree branch again, but didn’t aim an arrow at them this time. 

“We did it,” Alexa said. “The cave was full of undead and a demon and it sucked, so can we please just ask you some questions about animals now?” 

Simfaerd blinked. “I’ll be right back,” she said and hopped down and stepped back, vanishing into the tree. 

They only had to wait a few minutes before she reappeared behind them. 

“Okay,” she said. “You kept your word. Follow me.” 

Simfaerd led them along a short trail to where a few trees tangled together. She touched her hand to them and the trees parted, opening the way into a clearing that should have been impossible to hide. Simfaerd gestured inside. 

“No one else will see you as you really are,” she said. “So don’t go announcing it.” 

They stepped through the arching branches into a grassy clearing ringed by trees that was busy with people and animals. Asra found himself looking for a snow leopard and shook his head, trying to parse what was in front of him. 

“What’s going on?” Alexa asked, as Simfaerd reclosed the trees and joined them. “Seems like a party.” 

“It’s the half-equinox,” Simfaerd said. 

“The… half-equinox?” Asra asked. “Is that real?” 

“Are any holidays real?” Simfaerd challenged. “Enjoy yourselves, don’t be rude, don’t try to make deals with anyone.” She walked off, joining a few other druids near the fire. 

Asra and Alexa split up, making their way around the party and talking to various druids. They were interesting people, though none of them seemed to have any knowledge of particularly strange or dangerous animals in the forest. Just the normal fare of wolves and bears, and the occasional magical beast. They hadn’t heard of any werewolves in the area recently, either. 

Interestingly, they encountered one of the young men who worked at the lumberyard, sitting near the fire next to a bear and a wolf and a few other druids. He made a quick, nervous, exit after recognizing them and asking that they not tell anyone at the lumberyard that he was here. 

They spoke to Simfaerd again and Alexa showed her the orb she had found in the cave. Simfaerd identified it as a drift globe and taught Alexa how to use it. With a word, it could float and emit light. Alexa was immediately enthralled by her new toy and declared that she was going to have little hats made for it. 

After an hour or so of asking questions, Asra got bored and decided to make some money by challenging everyone to a drinking contest. 

Whatever homebrew the druids had was strong enough to give him a mild buzz, which was surprising. Asra hadn’t thought anything but the upsettingly thick alcohol devils made could affect him anymore. 

He smiled and pocketed his winnings as the man he was against stumbled off, giving up. He could hear a violin across the camp somewhere and looked to see Alexa by the fire, playing a song for some children. Evidently she had given up asking questions too, and had decided to enjoy the party.

“Hiya, handsome,” a new voice said and Asra turned to see a good looking man with pale blue skin and white hair lounging mid-air across the table from him. He gave Asra a once-over, with an interested smile. 

“You next?” Asra asked, raising his drink. 

The druid picked up a drink and held it out. “Cheers…” he said, lilting the end of the word slightly. 

“Asra,” he replied, knocking their cups together. 

“Nuzun.” 

The druid downed his drink and Asra followed suit. Asra was fairly sure he would be properly drunk before the evening was over, but he could already tell he would last longer than Nuzun. 

They were five drinks in when Nuzun began to lose a little control over his levitation, wobbling about in the air. He rolled onto his stomach and put his hands under his chin, giving Asra a very unsubtle gaze. 

“You can _really_ hold your alcohol,” he murmured. 

“Are you giving up?” Asra inquired, smiling smugly. 

“Let’s change the game,” Nuzun said. “Let’s see who can hold their breath the longest. If you win, I’ll double the gold I was going to give you. If _I_ win, you have to go out with me.” 

Asra thought for a moment. If he didn’t have to eat anymore, did he need to breathe? _Probably not_. 

“You’re on,” he agreed. 

They both took a breath and held it. Asra held Nuzun’s gaze the entire time, even as his lungs began to hurt, wondering how the druid looked so completely unbothered. 

Asra held his breath for a surprisingly long amount of time, but eventually had to turn his head away and gasp. 

Nuzun laughed and clapped. “Looks like you owe me a date!” he said, delighted. “See you Thursday!” 

Asra stared at him as he floated off, baffled. “What just happened?” 

* * *

The sun had set by the time Asra and Alexa got back into Wealdstone, but the town was still busy with people out for dinner and enjoying the warm summer night. 

Asra hummed to himself as they walked, still a bit buzzed from the druid’s party. He blamed the alcohol on his sudden fit of generosity when he saw a little girl in the street and tossed her a gold coin. She caught it and looked at it in surprise and then came over and hugged him around the waist. 

Asra awkwardly patted her on the head and felt one of her hands go into a pocket on his coat. He stepped back, suspecting the little urchin was robbing him. Her hands were empty and she smiled and flounced off. Asra reached into his pocket and found a slip of paper. 

_you’re being followed_

Asra glanced back and saw two burly men watching them from a distance, though not being very subtle about their interest. He caught up to Alexa. 

“We’ve got an audience,” he muttered. “Split up, change how you look, and meet me back in the square.” 

Alexa hummed in assent and immediately split off, heading into a crowd outside a restaurant. Asra cut the other direction, ducking through a few alleys, making sure no one was following him before slipping into a tavern and finding a bathroom. 

He quickly changed into Malbec’s clothes, putting on the dark wig and some eyeliner and lipstick, and taking out a few piercings. She sighed, trying not to let her appearance lead to too much nostalgia, and left the tavern, heading back toward the town square. 

It took her a while to find Alexa, but eventually spotted her leaning against a building. She clearly hadn’t prepared for switching identities, but she had done well enough to make herself look different. 

Malbec whistled, getting her attention, and winked. Alexa blinked, surprised. 

“Let’s see if we can’t find that little girl,” Malbec suggested. 

“I saw her go this way,” Alexa said, pointing down the alley. 

“Any sign of our friends?” 

Alexa smiled. “We lost them in the square.” She glanced sideways at Malbec. “How did you do that, anyway?” 

“Years of practice, darling.” 

“Too bad you can’t make yourself shorter,” she commented. 

“You’re just jealous that I can reach the top shelf,” Malbec replied. 

They rounded a corner and she saw the small figure of the girl standing in the shadows, leaning against the wall. 

“Hey, kid,” Malbec said. 

The girl turned, startled. She quickly dropped and stomped out the cigarette she was holding and folded her arms behind her back, looking up at them with a smile.

“Hi!” 

Malbec narrowed her eyes, arms akimbo. “All right, who are you? How’d you know we were being followed?” 

“Were you smoking?” Alexa asked, concerned. 

The little girl hesitated and then sighed, looking annoyed. She crossed her arms. “All right, fine,” she snapped, her voice changing drastically. “Ya caught me. I work for Drekker, too. And those idiots following you work for Reh’dad.” 

“Oh,” Malbec said, wondering just how many devils were running around this town. “Well… thanks for the heads-up, I guess.” 

“Thanks for the gold,” the little devil replied. “Are we done here?” 

“Yeah.” 

She turned and skipped off down the alley, disappearing around a corner. Malbec turned to Alexa, who was looking thoughtfully back toward the square. 

“I bet I could charm them,” she said. “Get them to tell us why Reh’dad’s following us?” 

“I mean, I bet I can guess why dad’s following us, but this does sound fun.” 

The two walked back into the square and split up again. As Alexa got out her violin and began to play on a street corner, Malbec made her way around until she spotted their tails and began to follow them as they walked over to watch Alexa play. 

Behind them, Malbec caught Alexa’s eye and pointed them out. Alexa smiled and started to sing, working the spell words into the song. Malbec backed off, watching the two men, as one of them blinked a few times and smiled dreamily. 

“Oh, wow, she’s great isn’t she?” he said. His friend looked at him, puzzled. 

“Um… I guess,” he said. “Shouldn’t we keep looking for—” 

“We have time, I wanna listen to this.” 

After the performance, the charmed man hurried up and put some gold in Alexa’s violin case and shook her hand, profusely complimenting her as his friend looked more and more baffled. The man invited Alexa—or, as she was calling herself, Siri—out to dinner, which she graciously accepted. The man still in his right mind protested, but was shushed. 

They got a table on the patio of a nearby restaurant and Malbec got her own nearby. Close enough to overhear what was happening and step in if Alexa needed help. Not that the bard seemed to be having trouble, she was clearly having the time of her life. 

Over dinner, the charmed man divulged that they worked for Reh’dad and had been watching some people. Every time he opened his mouth, his friend would kick him under the table, clearly frustrated. Eventually, he dragged him away, but not before the charmed man offered that Alexa come perform at The Hobbled Mare. 

As they left, Malbec stood up and picked up her drink, moving over to Alexa’s table. 

“I cannot wait to see the look on dad’s face when you perform in his bar,” she commented. 

Alexa grinned, delighted. “I know, it’s going to be priceless.” 

They stayed at the restaurant for a little while longer, finishing their drinks, and then headed back to their inn. 

As they walked up the stairs, despite how intent she was on crashing, Malbec hummed. 

“We probably ought to tell Volin about the demon.” 

“Proooobably,” Alexa agreed. 

When the devil opened his door, he seemed, for a moment, confused. 

“It’s us, hello,” Malbec said, and Volin’s gaze cleared. “This is how you do a disguise, darling.” 

He looked at Alexa. “Do you have an update?” he asked. 

“Not on the case,” Alexa said. “We went and met some druids.” 

“Yes, as it turns out devils can get drunk on whatever it is that druids make,” Malbec chimed in. 

Volin maintained his polite smile. “You don’t have to tell me _everything_ you do, you know,” he said. 

“We were getting to the bad thing,” Alexa said. “We found a bullshit cave with a demon in it.” 

He tensed. “A demon? Are you certain?” 

“Pretty sure,” Malbec said. “Looked like a mouth with legs. The whole place felt… weird. Dreadful. And there was some sort of… illusion magic going on. Making us see things that weren’t there.” 

“There was just the one demon?” Volin asked. 

“And some undead. We killed everything,” Alexa said. 

“Good,” Volin said. “Thank you for telling me, that is certainly… interesting.” 

“Interesting isn’t the word I would use, but whatever floats your boat,” Malbec said. “Night, night,” she said, walking off toward her room without waiting for a dismissal from the conversation. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Malbec is a false identity/alter ego that Asra uses when he needs to disappear. she's got her own look and personality which is why she gets her own pronouns and name, although tbh Asra is super loose about pronouns anyway. he defaults to he/him but he really doesn't care and is definitely gnc


	7. Wealdstone: Dead Ends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> this is the point in the campaign where my sister and i just had no fucken clue what we were supposed to do

“‘I have a plan’, that’s what you said.” 

Alexa ignored Asra. She was walking ahead of him through the woods, swinging a hunk of raw meat on a stick in front of her. It was early enough in the morning that it was still dark and Asra was not happy that he had been dragged out into the forest before dawn, following Alexa’s wild hair.

“‘I know what will attract the monster!’” Asra went on. 

“I don’t see _you_ having any bright ideas,” Alexa retorted. 

“Sure I do. Fail, go home, get murdered by Drekker. At least then I won’t have to do stupid shit anymore.” 

“Are you always this dramatic?” Alexa asked. 

“Says the woman who uses magic to change her clothes before she plays the fiddle.” 

If Alexa had a retort, it was interrupted by a snarl. As they stepped into a clearing, a massive, furred creature crept out of the brush, red eyes locked on Alexa and teeth bared as it growled. 

“Hah! I told you!” Alexa crowed, throwing the meat across the clearing. The wolf-like beast watched it go, nose twitching, and then returned its attention to her. She laughed nervously. 

“Nice… werewolf… We’re not here to hurt you…” 

The wolf leapt at her and Alexa yelped, diving out of the way. As it turned toward her again, Asra stepped forward and slammed the butt of his sword into its head. The wolf let out a strangled whine and dropped to the ground, unconscious. Both devils stared at it for a moment. 

“Well, what now?” Asra asked, eventually. 

“I don’t know, I didn’t think we’d get this far,” Alexa said. 

“Do you have rope?” 

Alexa opened her pack and dug through it for a moment before producing a roll of rope. They tied the wolf’s feet together and muzzled it, and hefted it up between them, though Asra could tell he was carrying most of the weight. 

They trudged back into town and Asra was suddenly glad it was before dawn, if only so they weren’t being gawked at as they carried a giant wolf into the alley behind their inn. Alexa hurried inside while Asra stood guard over the creature. 

It was only a few minutes before Alexa reappeared, followed by Volin. She flung her arms out in a grandiose gesture toward the unconscious wolf. 

“Tah-dah!” 

Volin stood, silently staring down at the animal for a solid minute before he inhaled. 

“That… is a worg,” he said, eventually, his tone measured. 

“A what?” Asra and Alexa asked simultaneously. 

“A worg. It looks like a fairly small one. Why did you bring it here?” 

“Uh…” Asra put a hand over his mouth, thinking. It had seemed like such a good idea to drag this wolf into town a moment ago. “We thought it might be a werewolf. Or… maybe what attacked Clarissa?” 

“That is, certainly, an idea,” Volin said and Asra got the distinct feeling he was being patronized. “But I don’t think this creature is our culprit.” 

“Then what do we do with it?” Alexa asked. 

“I’m sure you’ll figure something out,” Volin said, and went back inside. 

Asra glared at Alexa. “I blame you for this,” he said. She stuck her tongue out at him. 

“Let’s just get it back in the woods before it wakes up and eats someone.” 

They picked the worg up and tried to hurry out of town as the sun came up, before anyone spotted them. They left it in some brush and untied it, just as it began to wake up, making a hasty retreat back to the road. 

“Well…” Alexa said. 

“Time for my plan. Let’s go find those druids again and get shitfaced, so we can at least enjoy our last few weeks of life,” Asra said, and then an idea struck him. “Wait! We’re idiots!” 

“Mmhm, mmhm,” Alexa said, nodding. “And?” 

“The bones!” Asra said, and Alexa stared at him uncomprehendingly. “The horse bones! They had teeth marks on them. Maybe the druids could identify them?” 

“Oh! Good idea!” Alexa said. 

“And,” Asra said as he started leading the way back into town, “if they can’t, then we’re already where the alcohol is.” 

* * *

Simfaerd was on guard again when the two devils approached, sitting in her tree with her bow in her lap. This time, she didn’t immediately tense when she saw them, although she did look curious about the horse femur Asra was carrying. 

“Back again?” 

“We just couldn’t stay away,” Alexa said. 

Asra held up the bone. “Can you tell us what sort of animal took a bite out of this?” 

Simfaerd hopped down and walked over, looking at it. “Mm, I can’t, but I know someone who might be able to help you.” 

She led them through the trees to the clearing again. It was much more subdued, now. Several people looked to be nursing hangovers. Asra didn’t see Nuzun, but he also wasn’t entirely sure he hadn’t hallucinated that man. 

Simfaerd led them toward the huge, ancient tree growing in the center of the clearing and drew their attention to an entrance in the roots—a tunnel leading downward. 

“Down there,” she said, with an unreadable smile. 

“Not ominous at all,” Asra said, ducking into the tree and starting down. Eventually, they reached a doorway, which opened into an underground room. Asra’s immediate impression was that a witch lived there. Roots hung down from the ceiling, with bundles of herbs tied on them. A large cauldron bubbled in the corner, with softly glowing smoke rising from it. Overlapping rugs covered the floor and there were bookshelves with large, arcane tomes. The whole room seemed almost deliberately witchy. 

“Who dares disturb the Baba Yaga—” a voice shrieked, as a tiny, hunched figure hobbled out of the other room, brandishing a wooden spoon. 

They halted, looked at the two devils for a moment, and then said, “Oh. You aren’t who I was expecting.” 

As they spoke, their appearance shifted from a gnarled old woman to the figure of a young elven man. 

“How can I help you?” they asked. 

“Baba Yaga?” Alexa echoed, eyebrows raised. 

They smiled, form shifting again to that of a middle aged human woman. “One of my many hats. People look for the Baba Yaga when they’re desperate. I help them get to a better place. But you don’t look like people who need that sort of help. My name’s Alindras, what can I do for you?” 

Asra held out the femur, not particularly in the mood for small talk. “We need some bite marks identified. Simfaerd said you could help.” 

Alindras took the bone from him and looked at it curiously for a moment. Their head shifted into that of a wolf and they put their mouth around the bone, trying to fit their teeth in the marks. They pulled back and shook their head and changed to a bear, trying again. They ran through a number of normal animals and strange beasts that Asra had never seen, before settling on something vaguely wolfish. They had shorter muzzle than a wolf and far more teeth. 

“Well,” they said, shifting to a tiefling. “I have no idea what that is. The teeth seem wolfish, but the orientation is more like a humanoid. Strange.” 

“Could it be a werewolf?” Alexa asked. 

“Maybe,” they said, handing the bone back. “I’ve never looked into the mouth of one, so I couldn’t say for sure.” 

“Maybe Volin would know?” Alexa said, quietly, looking at Asra. 

“I don’t see why he would, but I also enjoy annoying him, so let’s ask.” 

The changeling smiled, shifting to a tabaxi. “Glad I could help.” 

* * *

“So what have we learned?” 

Asra lay on his back on his bed, staring at the ceiling. Alexa sat nearby on the floor, holding a cup of tea. They had spent the day chasing stories about werewolves. After visiting the Baba Yaga, they had returned to the inn to ask Volin about werewolf teeth. He had shown them a book about lycanthropes—one of the many tomes and scrolls he had piled around his room—that had confirmed what Asra and Alexa had seen with Alindras. 

Small mercies, Asra supposed, that Thia wasn’t here anymore. She would be insufferable to learn they _were_ actually after a lycanthrope. He wondered if that was why she had been “reassigned”. They were meant to bring Clarissa back alive. He was pretty sure Thia would have killed her without much thought if she was a lycan. 

The unfortunate part about Thia not being here was that Asra and Alexa were the ones who had to go visit the Church of the Silver Flame. They had learned—after Asra had shoved Alexa through the open door—that devils weren’t immediately destroyed upon entering a church. It was just a bit itchy. 

One of the priests, a woman named Isabelle who had spoken with Thia on their first day in town, showed them around and told them about the church’s history in the town. Alexa had distracted her with questions about the church, while Asra stole a book about lycanthropes. It held mostly information on how to kill them, which wasn’t surprising. There was no mention of a cure, or any information on where the werewolves had been near Wealdstone. 

It had then been Alexa’s idea to visit Josephine again and the old woman had told them about the last werewolf purge. It had happened about forty years prior. The church had operated quickly and mercilessly, slaughtering anyone even remotely suspected of being a lycanthrope. It sounded like a harrowing time, but it got them no closer to finding Clarissa. 

They had come back to the inn near dusk and retired to Asra’s room to try and come up with something resembling a plan. Thus far, this had mostly consisted of drinking and talking about fashion faux pas they had seen in town. 

“Clarissa’s probably a werewolf,” Asra said. “There’s no cure for werewolves. Also there shouldn’t be any left in this town.” 

“Apparently at least one,” Alexa replied. She was quiet for a moment. “Why… would a werewolf make another werewolf and then kidnap her?” 

“I don’t know,” Asra said, folding his arms over his face. “Trying to make an army to get back at the church?” 

“I wouldn’t think a noblewoman would be a good candidate for that.” 

“Maybe it’s a really stupid werewolf,” Asra said. 

“Maybe,” Alexa said, with a sigh. “We’re not very good at this.” 

Asra chuckled humorlessly. “You’re only just now realizing that? I vote we give up. The answer will either magically present itself to us or we’ll die.” 

“Your plans are the worst,” Alexa said. 

“I welcome you to solve this mystery by yourself.” 

Alexa whined petulantly. She downed the rest of her tea and stood up. “You wanna go get dinner?” 

“We just ate.” 

“At The Hobbled Mare?”

“Well, when you put it that way…”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> kind of a short one, but the next chapter should be long and the last-ish one in this arc! ish meaning there will be a little wrap up of our last day in town before we head back to hell


	8. Wealdstone: Monsters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> something about the pot calling the kettle black

“You see, my plan wasn’t stupid after all,” Asra said, gesturing down the road as he and Alexa walked toward the lumberyard. “The answer _did_ magically present itself.” 

Alexa rolled her eyes. “Don’t be smug, we got lucky. Actually, Volin got lucky and we’re lucky that he told us.” 

Asra waved a hand. “Semantics.” 

It was still fairly early morning as they walked, though they had both slept in a bit after a late night of making Reh’dad paranoid. Volin had joined them for breakfast and told them about a possible clue he had found, regarding a person named Elisen—an employee of the lumberyard—who had gone missing under mysterious circumstances. It didn’t sound like much to go on, in Asra’s opinion, but Volin seemed to think it was worth looking into. Or he just wanted them to leave him alone for a while. Either way, they found themselves heading to the lumberyard. 

The place was already busy at this time in the morning and no one paid them much mind as they walked into the clearing. As they looked around, Alexa got Asra’s attention and pointed out a familiar figure—the boy from the druid camp. 

“Hey, kid!” Asra called as they walked over toward where he was working. He practically jumped out of his skin as he turned, eyes wide. 

“Relax,” Alexa said, “we’d just like to ask you some questions.” 

“I-I’m a little busy,” he began, and Asra looped an arm around his shoulders and started forcefully leading him out of earshot of his fellow lumberjacks. 

“This won’t take a moment,” he said. 

Once they were in a more secluded area among the trees, Asra looked at him, still holding onto one of his shoulders as a precaution for how flighty the boy seemed. 

“What do you want?” the boy asked quietly. “You said you wouldn’t—” 

“Oh, don’t worry, we’re not going to give away your little secret,” Asra said. “We just wanted to ask about one of your coworkers who went missing a little while ago. Elisen? Ever met her?” 

The boy tensed, desperately trying to hide his reaction. “I… uh…” 

Asra leaned down a bit and smiled. “Don’t lie to us.” 

“I… I knew her, yeah. I mean, she worked here. I talked to her a few times.” 

“Any idea what happened to her?” 

“No,” he said, a little too quickly. He was sweating a bit and refused to look at either of them in the eye. 

Asra pushed him back against one of the trees. “Listen, kid, I’m really not in the mood for games. Don’t lie to me.” 

“We—we were friends, but I don’t know what happened to her, I swear!” he said. 

Asra picked him up off his feet and slammed him back into the tree. His head bounced off the trunk and he let out a cry of pain, not loud enough to attract the attention of any of the other workers. 

“Stop lying!” Asra snapped. 

“She’s dead, all right!” the boy exclaimed. Tears welled up in his eyes. “She’s dead.” 

Asra let him back down to his feet, but kept ahold of him. Alexa stepped forward. 

“Tell us what happened to her,” she said, softly. “Someone else might be in the same danger as Elisen was. We’re trying to prevent more people from dying, but we need to know what’s going on.” 

“Sh-she… she was… sick,” he stammered. “She…” He faltered and hesitated. 

“Was she a werewolf?” Alexa asked quietly. 

He looked down and eventually nodded once. “I… I tried to help her hide it… W-we went to the druids, but… they couldn’t help her, and we heard about someone… who could help with… with her condition and—and we went to find him, but he said he couldn’t help her and—and then…” he faltered again, now openly sobbing. 

“I—I found her… I found her body…” 

Asra exhaled. “All right, that’s… that’s enough,” he said, softening his tone. 

“Can you tell us anything about this person who was supposed to help her?” Alexa asked. 

“H-he lives in the woods, n-nearby,” the boy stammered, pointing to the west. “I-I don’t know a lot about him, I’m sorry.” 

“It’s all right,” Alexa said. “You’ve been a great help, thank you.” 

Asra stepped back, letting him go. The kid quickly hurried away, rubbing the back of his head. 

“Let’s go find this healer.” 

* * *

“Ooh, abandoned mineshaft. Very spooky.” 

“Love the atmosphere,” Asra agreed as he followed Alexa inside the dark opening, ducking past the warning signs. 

The air was still and quiet as they made their way down the tunnels, following the faintest impressions of recent foot traffic. Still, but not stale. The mine definitely wasn’t as abandoned as it was supposed to be. 

Eventually, they began to see the flicker of firelight against the walls. Alexa ducked into a crouch as they rounded a corner and found themselves in the opening to a cavern. Asra followed her lead, well aware that he was, perhaps, the least stealthy person in existence. 

Luckily, the room seemed to be unoccupied at the moment. There was a fire and a table with what looked like alchemical equipment. Near one of the walls, in shadow, was a large cage, with a figure inside. Another tunnel led off further into the mine on the other side of the cavern. 

The two devils slunk around the wall, keeping to the darkness beyond the edge of the firelight, and reached the cage. Inside, with her hands in manacles, was a young human woman. She looked up as they approached, eyes wide. 

“Help me,” she whispered. 

“Clarissa?” Alexa asked softly. 

She nodded. 

“Your father sent us. You’re going to be all right.” Alexa turned to Asra. “Do you know how to pick a lock? I could unlock this with a spell, but it’ll be _loud_.” 

“Uhh, no. I’ve _seen_ someone pick a lock, I could probably figure it out. Do you have tools?” 

Alexa frowned. “Do I look like someone with lockpicks?”

“I don’t know your life. Do you have a hairpin?” 

Alexa reached up and pulled one out of her hair, handing it over. Asra stuck it in the lock of the cage, wishing he had paid a little more attention when he had seen this done. He seemed to be making a little progress before the pin snapped. 

“Hm.” 

“Let me try,” Alexa said, pulling out another pin and pushing Asra out of the way. 

Clarissa was looking more and more nervous as Alexa worked, watching the tunnel that went further into the mine. After a few minutes, the lock clicked and opened. Alexa pulled open the cage door and crawled inside, starting to work on the manacles. 

“Please hurry,” Clarissa whispered. 

Before Alexa could get the second lock open, the sound of footsteps became audible down the tunnel. They all froze, holding their breath, and watched as a man walked into the cavern. His form was mostly obscured by the ragged cloak he wore, but he seemed to be fairly old. He set down the bag he was carrying on the table and began working with something. He didn’t seem to have noticed the intruders. 

Alexa pointed to Asra and then gestured back toward the entrance, and started creeping back along the wall. 

“Don’t leave me!” Clarissa whispered, desperate. 

“We won’t, I promise,” Asra replied softly, before turning and following Alexa. Once they got back to the tunnel, Alexa straightened up and started walking toward the firelight. Asra stood up as well, hiding his confusion. 

“Hello!” Alexa called. The man startled, looking up. He began to reach for something and Alexa held her hands up. 

“We just want to talk,” she said. “We, um, we need your help.” 

Asra nodded, catching on. “You’re… you’re the one that helps… werewolves, right?” he asked, keeping his voice low and injecting a bit of nervousness into his tone. 

The man didn’t relax, but beckoned them forward into the firelight. “Who sent you?” he asked. 

“They didn’t tell us who they were,” Alexa said. “They just said you could help. Please.” 

“Can you cure us?” Asra asked. 

The man looked down at the table for a moment. “That is what I’m trying to do, yes,” he said. He looked at them as they came closer, squinting slightly. “You’re both sick?” 

They nodded. The man moved faster than Asra expected from someone who looked so old and something flashed in the firelight. Instinctively, Asra’s hand shot out and snatched the dagger out of the air by the handle. He looked down at it. It seemed to be a ritual knife, made of a single piece of metal, with no wrap on the hilt. It was polished and looked to be made of silver. As Asra realized that, he realized what he’d just done. He dropped the knife. 

“It didn’t burn you,” the old man said, and Asra noticed the hand he had thrown the blade with was shaking slightly. “So, who are you, really?” 

Alexa and Asra exchanged a glance. 

“We don’t want to hurt you,” Alexa said. “We’re not with the church. We were hired to bring Clarissa home safely.” 

The old man tensed and looked over toward the cage. “No. She can’t leave. She’s too dangerous.” 

“We can’t leave her with you,” Asra said. 

“How close are you to a cure?” Alexa asked. “Maybe we could help.” 

The old man shook his head. “I doubt you can,” he said. “If you can help me craft a cure, then she can go free, but not until then. Someone could get hurt.” 

Alexa nodded and looked at Asra. “We should go ask Volin,” she said, quietly. Asra nodded and walked over to Clarissa’s cage, closely watched by her captor. She almost shied away from him. 

“We have to leave, but we’re going to come back, I swear,” he said, crouching. 

“Don’t leave me,” she said, shaking her head and trying to grab his hand through the bars. “Please!” 

“We’ll be back soon,” he said, standing up and moving away, following Alexa back out of the mine. 

* * *

“We found her.” 

Volin stared at Asra and Alexa for a few moments, evidently not having expected to hear those words when he opened the door. He blinked and backed up, inviting them into the room and shutting the door behind them. 

“Is she alive?” he asked. 

“Yes.” 

“Where is she?” 

Both of them hesitated. 

“That’s… a little more complicated,” Alexa said, slowly. “She’s… a werewolf and the guy who kidnapped her is trying to cure her—” 

“And is also a werewolf, I think,” Asra said. “He said he’d let her go if we can help him find a cure.” 

“And we figured devils probably have access to all sorts of weird things…” Alexa added.

“Seems like a decent trade,” Asra said. 

Volin was quiet for a moment, thoughtful. “Well… devils are responsible for lycanthropes, so it’s possible that we have a cure, though I’m not aware of it if we do…” 

“Wait, wait, wait,” Asra said, holding up his hands. “Devils made werewolves?” 

“Yes,” Volin said, waving a dismissive hand. He thought for a moment, and then nodded once. “Take me to them, I’m sure we can work something out…” 

* * *

It was past sunset by the time Asra and Alexa found the abandoned mine again and led Volin inside, back to the cavern. Little had changed in the time they’d been gone. Asra had half expected the man to pack up and move, but he was still there at his table, working away. 

He looked up when they walked in, tensing slightly. Asra halted next to the fire and let Volin step forward. 

“Hello,” he said, pleasantly, hands folded behind his back. “I’m told you’re looking to cure lycanthropy?” 

“I am,” the old man said warily, flashing a glance at Asra and Alexa. “Your… friends said they could help.” 

“I think we can, yes,” Volin said. “I have access to a lot of resources that I can put at your disposal. I will, of course, require Clarissa to be let free immediately. That seems like a fair trade, doesn’t it?” 

The old man hesitated, glancing toward the cage. One of his hands was creeping toward a bag on the table. 

“Shall we make a deal?” Volin offered. 

The old man’s eyes widened slightly and he pulled something out of the bag and flung his arm out, moving once again with surprising speed. Before Asra could move to intervene, what looked like water splashed over Volin and the devil screamed in pain, doubling over. 

The old man held the flask in his hand toward Asra and Alexa. “Don’t come any closer, you monsters.” 

“Says the werewolf,” Asra said, drawing his sword and holding it loosely. Not a threat, yet. 

“At least I didn’t _choose_ this,” he replied. “Get out of here. I will never deal with your kind.” 

“You don’t _have_ to make a deal with us!” Asra said. “We’re just trying to get Clarissa home safely. We can still help each other—” 

Before he could finish, Volin straightened back up and flung out a hand, summoning a spiked chain that lashed straight through the old man’s chest. He ripped it back, spraying blood over the table as the old lycan crumpled to the ground.

“What the fuck?!” Asra exclaimed. “You didn’t need to do that!” 

Volin ignored him and walked over to the cage, beckoning them to follow. He started speaking in a soft tone to Clarissa, opening the cage. Alexa walked over to join him. 

Asra hesitated, conflicted, staring at the unmoving figure on the ground. He didn’t know why this bothered him so much. He shouldn’t be surprised—Volin was a _devil_, after all, and the old man had thrown holy water in his face. But his death just seemed… meaningless. 

Asra flinched slightly at the loud bang of a knock spell as Alexa unlocked the manacles. He turned, leaving the cavern by himself and heading out of the mine, not caring to find out what happened to Clarissa. 


	9. Wealdstone: Forget-Me-Not

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> wherein Asra forgot about his date but the DM certainly didn't

Asra moved a card, frowning at the layout. He wished the cards would talk to him, like they used to, but they lay silently on the table, not complaining as he used them for a game of solitaire. He also wished the bottle of wine on the table affected him in the slightest. He wished a lot of things and he was trying not to think about most of them. 

The previous night, Alexa had come back to the inn and told him that she and Volin had taken Clarissa home. They had a day or so in town while Volin wrapped up business with Lord Bayley before they were going home. Asra wasn’t looking forward to that, but at least in Hell, he could distance himself from any semblance of normal life. 

The chair across from him moved and someone sat down in it. 

“You’ll have to buy me a drink if you want your fortune told,” Asra murmured, not looking up from his cards. 

“Maybe later,” a familiar voice said. “But I did bring you a drink.” 

Asra looked up as a bottle was set on the table, recognizing the genasi sitting across from him. He picked up the offered drink and took a sip. 

“All right,” he said. “You can stay.” 

Nuzun grinned. “Neither of us are staying, actually, I have a full evening planned.” He stood up and held a hand down toward Asra. 

Asra scooped up his cards and put them away, taking the offered hand. Nuzun pulled him to his feet and linked their arms together as they walked out of the inn. Evening was falling, casting a warm glow across the town. 

“I’ll admit, I haven’t spent much time in this town. Or any town, for that matter,” the druid said as he led Asra toward the nicer part of town. “But I asked around and got a few recommendations.” 

“I’m surprised you remembered, much less put effort in, so rest assured the bar is low,” Asra replied. He, personally, had completely forgotten about his bet with Nuzun in everything that had happened since. 

As they walked, he stayed mostly quiet, letting Nuzun carry the conversation. He was chatty enough for both of them, until they began to see smoke. Asra recognized this part of town and had to hide a grin as they rounded a corner and found a building completely burned to the ground. 

A crowd had gathered and was being dispersed slowly by a few knights of the church. Asra spotted Alexa talking to one of the priests. 

“Hm.” Nuzun put a hand to his mouth. “Well that’s… interesting.” He looked around, getting his bearings, and then pulled Asra in another direction. They went a few blocks further, towards the river, and ended up at a fairly nice restaurant near the waterfront. 

They were given a table on the patio, in view of the sunset and the river. Asra took a heavy swig of the druid wine, trying not to think about the last time he’d been at a fancy restaurant with someone. 

Nuzun chattered away while they waited for their food, seeming almost nervous, though he was good at hiding it. 

“So, tell me about yourself,” he said, once the food arrived. It was good, though Asra couldn’t identify what it was. He knew better than to ask. 

“What do you want to know?” Asra asked. 

“Who are you? You’ve been very mysterious thus far,” Nuzun said. 

Asra smiled. “You seemed to enjoy talking about yourself.” 

“I do,” Nuzun agreed, with a smile. “But now I want to hear about you.” 

“Let’s see…” Asra mused. “I’m—I _used _to be a fortune teller with a travelling circus.” 

Nuzun’s gaze lit up with interest. “Really? That sounds like an exciting life.” 

“It was,” Asra said, jabbing idly at his dinner with his fork, having suddenly lost his appetite. “Spent my whole life with the troupe. I loved it.” 

“So why did you leave, then? Or is there a circus in town I don’t know about?” 

Asra met his gaze, holding it for a moment while he considered what to say. _Oh, fuck it_. He wouldn’t be around much longer to face any ramifications. 

“I died,” he said. 

Nuzun smiled. “If you don’t want to tell me…” 

“Do you want the entire truth?” Asra asked. “It might scare you.” 

Nuzun leaned forward. “It takes a lot to scare me,” he said. 

“I died and I woke up in Avernus with a new job,” Asra said, smiling humorlessly. “Because I sold my soul a long time ago for a deck of cursed tarot cards that I don’t even have anymore.” He tried not to sound too bitter.

Nuzun stared at him, torn between nervous and disbelieving. “You’re… a devil?” he asked, eyebrows raised. 

“I am.” 

Something in Asra’s tone made the disbelief leave Nuzun’s gaze and he sat back, tense and quiet. He looked toward the river, thoughtful for a few minutes, before he looked back at Asra, seeming amused. 

“You sold your soul for tarot cards?” he asked, tilting his head with an almost pitying smile. 

Asra narrowed his eyes. “Don’t patronize me. What part of being raised in a circus do you think involves a thorough education about souls and planes?” 

Nuzun held up his hands in a peaceful gesture. “Fair enough,” he said. He glanced at the darkening sky and dropped some money on the table, standing up and offering Asra his hand again. 

Asra took it and stood up. “All right,” he said. “I guess it does take a lot to scare you off.” 

Nuzun grinned. “Well, you haven’t tried to buy my soul yet,” he said, linking their arms again and leaning slightly against Asra as they walked down the river toward the edge of town. 

“Don’t tempt me,” Asra murmured. 

They walked out of town, finishing off the bottle of wine and discussing nothing in particular. At some point, Nuzun asked a question about the troupe and Asra responded by shoving him into the river. The genasi caught himself about a foot above the water and frowned up at Asra for a moment before standing up midair. 

Asra offered him a hand back on shore, expecting it when Nuzun yanked him into the water. He could have held his ground, but instead he grabbed the druid around the middle as he fell and dragged them both underwater. He let him go quickly and swam back to the surface. Nuzun surfaced next to him, laughing. Asra laughed too, surprising himself. They climbed back up to the shore and Nuzun took Asra’s hand, holding it as they continued down the road away from town. 

Eventually they reached a field of tall grass, away from the light of town, just as the stars were coming out. Asra took off his coat and laid it down on the ground, giving them a place to sit that was clean, if a bit damp from the river. 

Nuzun plucked a few pieces of grass and wadded them up in his hands. He leaned down, opening his hands to present a flower. Asra froze. 

_Violets, why is it always violets? _He managed to shake himself and take the flower. 

“Don’t worry,” Nuzun said. “This isn’t a grand romantic gesture.” He straightened up and stepped back. He threw out his arms and his eyes glowed briefly. Wind swept through the field and the grass transformed into blooming wildflowers. 

Nuzun sat down next to him, leaning close and smiling. “_That_ was a grand romantic gesture,” he murmured. 

Asra held his gaze for a moment, well aware of what Nuzun wanted. Unconsciously, his right hand rubbed over the tattoo on his opposite forearm. It was different from most of his tattoos. They were harsh lines and esoteric patterns that he had slowly added to over his life. But on his left forearm were flowers. Violets and forget-me-nots. 

He wondered why he was hesitating. Those flowers had meant something, but it wasn’t as if he’d ever see who they were for again. Hell, he wouldn’t ever see Nuzun again after this. _Just enjoy the night,_ he told himself. 

And yet. 

“Something wrong?” Nuzun asked, tilting his head, and Asra realized it had been too long since he’d spoken.

He blinked and looked away, up at the stars. “I died and I left someone behind and let’s just leave it at that,” he said. “This has been a lovely evening, but I’m not…” he faltered and shook his head. “Besides, I’m leaving town tomorrow.” 

“Oh,” Nuzun said, clearly trying not to sound disappointed. 

Asra rolled his eyes and shifted closer, wrapping an arm around the druid’s waist and flopping back onto the ground. Nuzun let out a surprised noise, but quickly snuggled up against him. Asra folded his other arm under his head, looking up at the stars. 

* * *

“There you are.” 

Alexa looked far too amused as Asra walked over and sat down at her table, waving a hand at the barkeep to get him a coffee. 

“Busy night?” she asked innocently. 

“Fell asleep in a field,” Asra said, stifling a yawn. “Where’s Volin?”

She shrugged. “I dunno. Wanna hear something funny, though?” 

Asra nodded, gratefully accepting the coffee that was handed to him. Alexa waited until the host walked away again before leaning forward eagerly. 

“The Hobbled Mare burnt down,” she said. 

“I saw. What happened?” 

“Apparently _someone_ let the church know there were a bunch of devils in their town,” Alexa said, grinning. 

Asra snorted. 

“It’s a little sad, actually, I was hoping to play there again,” Alexa said. 

“I’m sure you’ll get another chance, unless this has taught dad to avoid us like the plague.” 

Alexa laughed and was interrupted by someone tapping gloved fingers on the table. They both looked up at Volin, who smiled. 

“Time to go.” 


	10. Interlude: Hellephant

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> we're bad for Volin's blood pressure

“Oh, this is already just the worst,” Alexa complained as they stepped through the portal into oppressively humid air. 

Asra blinked, letting his eyes adjust to the dim light filtering through the canopy of lichen heavy trees that reached down toward the uneven path they stood on. The crooked obsidian stones were settled into a swamp of thick, dark, water. It bubbled and rippled and steamed, giving the impression of things moving under the surface, as water dripped from the hanging branches above. 

“Where are we?” Asra asked, carefully starting down the pathway after Volin. It snaked through the bog, barely wide enough for three people to walk shoulder to shoulder. Alexa trailed after them, glaring at her dismal surroundings. 

“Minauros,” Volin replied. “The third layer.” 

“I never thought I’d miss Avernus,” Alexa said. 

“Oh, come on, princess,” Asra said. “It’s not _that_ bad, at least it’s—no you’re right, this is terrible.” 

“I _hate_ humidity,” Alexa muttered. “It’s bad for my violin.” 

“It’s bad for my hair,” Asra replied, reaching up to tie his hair back so it would stop sticking to his face. 

They walked in silence for a while longer, before Asra began to see lights through the trees. In the distance, he could almost hear the ambient noise of a city. Strange noises to hear in a swamp.

“Why are we here?” Alexa asked. 

“Drekker has some business with the Archdevil of this layer—Mammon,” Volin explained. “We’ll be fulfilling whatever comes of those dealings.” 

Asra groaned. “Don’t we ever get vacation time?” he complained. “It’s just been one thing after another since we died.” 

“I know,” Alexa sighed. 

“I’m sure you’ll have some time to yourselves here,” Volin said. “Drekker wants to talk to you first, however.” 

“Yay…” Asra said. He looked up as they came out of the trees on the edge of a city. It was larger than he expected to see in a swamp, built on a similar uneven obsidian base as the pathway, with some structures standing on stilts over the water. Parts of the city seemed to be actively sinking, tipping precariously toward the mire. They passed a few devils working to reinforce part of the foundation, as they stepped onto the street proper. 

The further they walked into the city, the busier it became. Devils of every kind were hurrying around on business, browsing wares in market stands, or simply socializing outside taverns. There were creatures that weren’t devils, as well. Some that looked like people, others that looked like things Asra had never seen, chattering to each other in languages he couldn’t understand.

As they got deeper, the buildings got taller, more secure on their foundations. Volin led them into a large, several story inn. It was well-lit inside, lamps powered by something unknown, and, despite how ramshackle everything seemed to look outside, the inside was surprisingly beautiful. It clearly wasn’t an inexpensive place to stay. They walked up a few floors and down a hall, stopping in front of a closed door. 

Volin knocked. After a moment, the door was opened by Viri. She looked at them briefly and then stepped back, saying nothing as she invited them inside. Volin walked into the room, which looked to have been converted into a sort of office. Drekker looked up as they came in, standing up and setting down the paper he had been reading. 

Volin stepped aside as Drekker approached, staying out of the way as he looked over Asra and Alexa, expression unreadable. Without saying anything he reached out, pressing two fingers against their foreheads. 

Heat rushed through Asra, burning through his veins. Familiar to the first time they had met Drekker, but more intense. He gritted his teeth against an involuntary grunt of pain, and his vision briefly went black. Drekker stepped back and Asra blinked a few times. 

“I wouldn’t necessarily say you _earned_ that promotion, but you did well enough in Wealdstone,” Drekker said, seeming annoyed. “Don’t assume this grants you any leniency.” 

As he turned away, Asra caught Alexa’s gaze and rolled his eyes, wondering if Drekker got off on being unnecessarily dramatic. 

Drekker turned back, swiftly grabbing Asra by the collar, forcing him down slightly and pushing his palm against his forehead. A similar heat lashed through him, a thousand times hotter, like his blood had turned to molten metal. He barely stifled a scream, mind going blank for anything but pain. Drekker let him go, watching him calmly. Asra stumbled slightly, only just managing to keep his legs from giving out. His vision blurred and his heart pounded in his throat. 

“Don’t test me,” Drekker said softly, leaning close. “I have little patience for flippancy. Do it again, and you’re dead.” 

Asra looked down, swallowing back a number of suicidal retorts, and Drekker stepped back. 

“Volin will fill you in on your next mission.” 

That seemed to be a dismissal as Volin nudged them both toward the door that Viri opened and out into the hallway. He led them down the hall, back toward the stairway. Asra looked at his hands and found them shaking. 

“Are you okay?” Alexa asked, quietly. 

“I fucking hate this place,” Asra growled. Part of him was trying to be scared, but he forced it down. There was no point in being afraid. If he died, he died. He would rather die angry than scared. “One of these days I’m going to outrank that son of a bitch, and then we’ll see who gets mulched,” he muttered. 

Volin hummed nervously. “You need to be careful talking about things like that,” he said, quietly. 

“That’s the whole point of being a devil, isn’t it?” Asra said, lowering his voice. “Aren’t you all constantly trying to stab each other in the back? I’ll do what Drekker wants. I’ll be a good little devil and follow the rules. So good that _his_ boss will notice.” 

“I think his boss is Asmodeus,” Alexa mused. 

“Perfect,” Asra said. “I’ll just impress Asmodeus and then no one can fuck with me. Or, better yet, I’ll _seduce_ Asmodeus,” he went on, only half joking. 

“Yes!” Alexa agreed enthusiastically. “Imagine the look on Drekker’s face!” 

Volin sighed. “Please try to keep these thoughts to yourself.” 

* * *

“The swamp sucks, but this city really has everything, huh?” 

Asra turned away from the mirror to look at Alexa, who was showing off a cloak. He held his hands up, displaying the new hat he was wearing. 

“You didn’t strike me as a hat person,” she said. 

He snapped his fingers and channeled the magic that was in the hat, turning into Malbec. 

“I like useful hats,” she said and then swept it off and the illusion vanished. 

“Nice!” Alexa said. They paid, using the frankly astonishing amount of gold Volin had given them, and went back out onto the street, counting their remaining coin and trying to decide where to go next. It was more money than Asra had ever seen in his life and he really had no idea what to do with it. They had spent the last few days wandering around Minauros and still hadn’t seen all of the city.

“I bet there are weird restaurants here,” Alexa said. “Let’s find the weirdest one!” 

Asra laughed, following her as she headed off down the street, flagging down random devils and asking for strange dining recommendations. Eventually, they got pointed to a place where everything was some form of gelatin. 

After the strangest meal Asra had ever eaten, they found themselves sitting on a curb. Alexa was flipping through a plane walker’s guide to the city, looking for something fun to do, while sharing their third bottle of heady infernal wine. Both of them were more than a little drunk. Asra was attempting to summon his new employee. Volin had informed them that they had imps now, but hadn’t given them names or any way to call them. 

He snapped a few times. “Hey, imp!” he called into thin air. “I don’t know your name!” 

There was a quiet pop and a little winged creature in shades of mottled purple appeared in front of him. They stood up to their full foot and a half height and looked up at him with large blueish-green, cat-like eyes. 

“It’s Nakak!” they said brightly. 

“Oh. Hello,” Asra said, startled. Alexa was also staring at the little imp. “I’m Asra…”

“I know, sir,” Nakak said. “Did you need something?” 

“N…no.” Asra paused, taken aback, and shook his head. “Don’t call me sir or anything. Asra is fine.” 

“Oh,” Nakak said, seeming confused. “Sure.” 

“So, Nakak, know anything fun to do in this city?” Asra asked, gesturing up at the surrounding street. The bangles around his wrist jingled and attracted the imp’s attention. Their pupils widened. Asra lowered his hand. 

“I think I have enough money to buy an elephant,” Alexa said, apropos of nothing. “Do you know where I can buy an elephant?” 

“There are stables,” Nakak said, thoughtfully, still fixated on Asra’s jewelry. “I could show you!” 

“Thank you,” Asra said. He pulled off one of the bracelets and held it out. “Do you want one?” 

Nakak’s eyes widened and they looked up at him. “Really?” 

“Sure. You’re being helpful,” Asra said. He didn’t think devils were necessarily supposed to reward their underlings, but it seemed cruel to make Nakak run errands for him without any sort of pay. The imp looked utterly delighted as they took the bracelet, turning it around in their hands and watching the light sparkle off the metal. 

“This way!” they said, hurrying off down the street. 

One of Asra’s steps counted for about fifteen of Nakak’s, so eventually, he held a hand down. 

“Hop up.” 

Nakak clambered up his arm and perched on his shoulder, navigating their way to the stables. 

“Do you know my imp’s name?” Alexa asked them, as they walked. 

“I think it’s Nymm,” Nakak replied. 

Alexa called for Nymm and another little imp appeared, equally as eager to please as Nakak. After asking what all imps could do, Alexa ended up asking him to get her a cup of coffee, that she drank as they walked the rest of the way to the stables. 

Asra half-thought Alexa was joking about buying an elephant, until she found one. She was fairly small, as far as elephants went, and Alexa immediately fell in love and bought her with her remaining gold. 

“I shall call her Dauphine Orlean,” Alexa decided as they walked through the street with the elephant on a leash. Dauphine had already taken a shine to Alexa and kept tousling her hair with her trunk. 

“I love her,” Asra said. “Where are you going to keep her?” 

“Uhh… hm. Good question. Do you think she’ll fit in my hotel room?” 

“Not unless we shrink her first,” Asra mused. He drained the bottle of wine and tossed it into a rubbish bin as they passed, laughing quietly as he got an idea. “Hey, d’you think we could shrink her and put her in Volin’s room?” 

Alexa giggled. “Well, we’re definitely going to try now,” she said. 

When they got back to their inn, Alexa cast a spell, making Dauphine invisible, and Asra cast one to make her small enough to fit through the doors. They hurried her inside and up the stairs, walking a bit strangely and giggling to themselves as they tried to keep other devils from bumping into the tiny, invisible, elephant. 

Volin’s door was unlocked and he wasn’t inside, which Asra assumed he would come to regret. The shrinking spell wore off almost as soon as they got Dauphine inside and Alexa let down the invisibility spell as well. She sat down in a chair and Asra laid down on his back on the floor. Dauphine reached down and batted at his face lightly. He laughed, reaching up to grab her trunk, letting her wrap it around his arm. 

The door opened and closed and for a moment there was just silence. 

“…Alexa?” Volin asked, eventually. 

“Hi,” Alexa replied. 

“Hello. Wh—um. Why… What—… _why._” 

“Surprise!” Asra said, throwing his arms up toward the ceiling, without sitting up. He dropped them behind his head. “Alexa we forgot to buy Volin a present.” 

“Oh,” Alexa said. 

“Why are you in here? Why is there an _elephant_ in here?” Volin demanded, voice jumping up half an octave as he tried to figure out if he was hallucinating or not. 

“Wanna talk about the elephant in the room?” Alexa asked, beaming with delight at her own joke. 

Volin closed his eyes briefly and took a steadying breath. “Okay,” he said. “I’m going to leave and I would very much appreciate it if there was not an elephant in my room when I come back.” 

He left and Alexa slumped back into the chair. 

“I think we upset him,” she said. 

“If he can’t handle one elephant in his room, then I don’t think he’s ever had friends,” Asra replied. 

Dauphine let out a quiet trumpet, seemingly in agreement.


	11. Stygia: Dread

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> something's wrong in Stygia

“I take back what I said about Minauros. _This_ is the worst.” 

Asra didn’t move his head to look at Alexa as she muttered, only tucked his face further into the fur-lined collar of his parka. He thought back to Volin’s explanation of their mission a few days prior, as they had met the rest of their party in Avernus to prepare to set out. There were a lot more this time. Besides the three of them, they had once again been joined by Carin, Gruni, and If’binedz, as well as Ken and a number of other devils Asra hadn’t gotten acquainted with. 

“We’re going to Stygia,” Volin had explained, but hadn’t said much more on their purpose. Asra hadn’t known a thing about Stygia, but seeing everyone bundling up into parkas and boots hadn’t been a good sign. 

And now they were marching across a desolate frozen wasteland. 

Asra had never been so cold in his life. The wind howling across the plain, their boots crunching, and the slide of sled rails over the snow were the only sounds. Everyone had stopped talking long ago, even to complain about the cold. The monotony and temperature were wearing on all of their nerves and the only voices to be heard were occasional short-tempered snarls, muffled by hoods and scarves. 

A rumble sounded through the ground beneath them and Asra stopped, looking out over the ice. In the distance, where it broke up into an unfathomably deep and frigid sea, he could see icebergs drifting slowly, buffeted by dark, wind-tossed waves. Suddenly, inside of one of them, an enormous eye rolled open, and Asra realized he wasn’t seeing ice but rather a massive, frozen, creature.

Asra backed up a few steps and looked around. “Volin? Volin!” 

Volin turned and hurried back toward him. “What’s wrong?” 

“What is that?” Asra asked, pointing out toward the eye. 

Volin squinted. “Ah. That would be our host, Levistus.” 

“Oh.” Asra relaxed slightly, and waved. He wondered if the Archdevil could even see them. 

“Is he… in an iceberg?” Alexa asked, stepping up next to them. 

“Yes, he was imprisoned there by Asmodeus,” Volin said. 

“But he’s still in charge?” Alexa asked. 

Volin shrugged and headed back to catch up with the group. 

“Judging by what we’ve seen so far of Stygia, being Archdevil of this place seems like a punishment in itself,” Asra said. 

Alexa laughed quietly and they trudged after Volin. Their brief raise in mood didn’t last long as they settled back into the journey. Asra’s mind drifted off, paying little attention to his surroundings as he walked, composing letters that would never be sent and trying not to doze off on his feet. 

A loud, echoing snap and whine broke through the silence, startling everyone to a standstill. The ice groaned underneath them and Volin quickly began issuing orders for everyone to get to the shore. Thus far, the pack ice had been perfectly safe and the level surface had made for smoother travel than the land. 

Before anyone could move, the ice around them exploded. Writhing, massive, dark tentacles burst through, lashing blindly at the devils. Asra didn’t want to think about how big the monster they were connected to must be. He drew his sword, watching as Alexa dodged out of the way of one of the appendages, launching a spell after it. The two of them had been effectively cut off from the rest of the group by the creature. They stood back to back, fighting back the tentacles whenever they came close. 

Asra managed to pin one down and cut clean through it. What was left quickly disappeared back under the ice. Alexa yelled a loud insult at one and then made a quiet noise of surprise when the tentacle writhed and disappeared back into the water, reacting to her spell. A few arrows lanced through another tentacle from If’Binedz. The other three had gotten trapped further out on the ice and quickly hurried over to be closer to the group once they cleared a path. The kraken seemed to decide the devils weren’t worth the effort and pulled all its limbs back. 

Volin made his way around, making sure everyone was uninjured and reminding them to be careful. 

“We’re in hell,” he said. “If you die here, it’s for good.” 

“You’re cheery when you’re cold,” Asra replied, following him up the slope onto solid ground. 

Finally, after a few hours more of hiking, the terrain changed. Foothills began to wind underneath their feet, leading toward a distant mountain range. Before that, they came in sight of a small, solitary mountain, with a massive pair of metal doors set into its face. 

“Would you call that a little mountain or a big hill?” Alexa mused as they approached. 

“I would call it suspicious,” Asra said. “Hey, Volin, is this why we’re here? Are we allowed to know why we’re here, yet?” 

“Mammon has hired Drekker to recover a powerful magical artifact from here,” Volin said. 

“That’s very vague,” Alexa said. “What kind of magical artifact?” 

“The kind we’ll know when we see,” Volin replied, unhelpfully. 

Ken and a few of the other devils tried to force the doors open and reported that they were barred from the inside, which didn’t make Asra feel any less suspicious. 

“If it’s locked from inside, that means there’s someone in there,” Asra said. “Why don’t we just knock? For that matter, why didn’t Mammon just ask some devils who _live_ here to get his magic thing?” 

Alexa laughed. “Oh, you should know better than to think it would ever be that simple,” she said. 

Asra made a face at her, though the effect was mostly lost behind his scarf. He looked around and eventually spotted what looked like a small cave above the door, like part of the structure inside had collapsed. 

“Anyone have a grappling hook?” he asked. One of the barbed devils dug around in the supplies for a moment before producing a length of rope with a hook on the end and handing it to him.

Asra twirled it, humming to himself as he aimed, and then flung the hook up over the doors. It clattered through the hole and caught on something when he tugged back. 

“Okay, I’ll go up and see if I can get through,” Asra said. He leaned his weight back on the rope, making sure it was secure, before he started climbing up. 

Once he was about halfway up, something moved. 

Asra looked down, watching with growing dread as what looked like a chunk of ice slowly began to crack off the face of the door. As it moved, it unfolded spindly arms and legs and shrieked at him, baring icy fangs. 

“Shit,” he hissed. He stomped on it, shattering something before it took off. Asra hunkered down, just trying to climb faster, cursing under his breath as he heard more of them peel themselves off the mountain and start attacking the devils below. 

He hauled himself over the ledge just in time to yank his sword out of its sheath and slam it into the little creature as it came back to try and bite him. It shattered and exploded. Asra ducked, not quickly enough as he felt a shard of ice slice across his cheek. 

He looked down at the others and saw Alexa being swarmed by several of the little monsters. She stomped a boot down into the snow and flung her hands out. A crash of thunder sounded, sending a cloud of snow billowing out from her and launching the creatures away. They exploded a safe distance away, like icy fireworks. 

She backed up and looked up at Asra. He gave two thumbs up. She waved, somewhat urgently. 

“Look out!” she shouted. 

Asra turned, as another spindly beast pulled itself off the rock behind him. He ducked as it leapt at him, and shifted back, turning his sword as it righted itself midair and came back to attack him. He swung his blade as hard as he could and hit it with the flat, sending it tumbling backward to explode. 

He looked back down at Alexa, who gave two thumbs up. He gave an over the top bow and sheathed his sword, looking down into the building. It was dark inside, and seemingly empty. He pulled the rope up and reaffixed the grappling hook, tossing the free end into the structure. He waved at the rest of them and then started to rappel down inside. 

Once he hit the ground, Asra took a moment to look around. Beyond the entrance, the tunnel sloped downward, eventually disappearing into darkness. He couldn’t hear anything beyond dripping water. It was eerie, but it was warmer at least. Whether that was just due to the absence of wind, or if it was heated somehow, he wasn’t sure. He turned back to the door and shifted the bar holding it shut. Flinging the two doors open dramatically was tempting, but they were disappointingly heavy and he was forced to shove one of them open instead. 

He made another bow, gesturing inside and stepping back to let everyone else come in. They pulled the sleds inside and barred the doors again. 

Alexa let her hood down, exhaling. “I think I’ve forgotten how to feel temperature,” she said. 

Asra laughed quietly. Volin sent a few of the barbed devils further down the hall to investigate, while the rest of the group built a fire and settled in to rest. Asra stripped off his parka and sat on it, leaning against one of the sleds. He pulled his journal out of his coat and scribbled down a few quick thoughts. He had bought the journal in Minauros and it was slowly filling with letters that would never be sent, written in the Celestial script—the only safeguard he could think of against prying devils. 

Nearby was Alexa, warming her hands in the heat of the fire. Across from them, the other three sat, talking quietly to each other. Now that they weren’t bundled up, Asra could really look at them. He hadn’t seen any of them since the battle in Avernus. They looked different, he thought. Or maybe just tired. It made him wonder how he had changed. 

Carin shifted and curled up on the ground, folding her parka up as a pillow. In her belt sheath, Asra could see that she still had the dagger he had gotten for her. 

He looked back down at his journal and wrote, _I hope you’re somewhere warm,_ and then closed the book, tucking it back into his coat. The other devils were showing no sign of returning soon, so he followed Carin’s lead and laid down, closing his eyes. 

Only a few minutes passed before he was roused by Alexa, having barely dozed off. The scouts had returned, evidently without much to report, and Volin gathered Asra, Alexa, Carin, If’Binedz, and Gruni and sent them down into the fortress for a proper investigation. 

“So what do you think the artifact is?” Asra asked, as the five of them walked down the large hallway. 

Carin, If’Binedz, and Gruni didn’t seem amenable to chatting, but Alexa hummed thoughtfully. 

“A weapon?” she suggested. “Like a cool sword, or something?” 

“I hope it’s that obvious,” Asra said. 

After a few minutes of walking, the tunnel began to level out, and in the dim light they could see that it opened into what seemed to be a massive cavern. On the walls, before the archway, were strange levers. More concerning were the corpses underneath them. 

Asra walked over to one of the bodies and crouched, finding a dead and mutilated devil. They looked like they had been torn apart by an animal. 

Next to him, Alexa reached up and tugged on the lever. It barely budged. Across the hall, If’Binedz was looking at the other body, while Carin and Gruni had walked to the end of the hallway and were looking outside. 

“I wonder what killed them…” Alexa said, looking around. There was no sign of any other creatures having been here recently, though it was difficult to tell how long ago the devils had died. 

“Let’s hope we don’t meet it,” Asra said. He straightened up and walked down to the end of the hall. The ground a few feet beyond the archway disappeared into a wide chasm, too deep to see the bottom. Across the ravine, the tunnel was blocked by a large gate. The bridge that should have gone across was in half, folded down on either side of the chasm, though it didn’t look to have broken. 

“I wonder…” Alexa mused, turning around and looking back up the tunnel. “Asra, come with me.” 

She led him back up the tunnel and stepped carefully over one of the dead devils to stand next to the lever. Asra caught her drift and went across the hall to the other lever. 

“One, two, three,” Alexa counted and they both pulled. The levers slid down, locking into place, and almost immediately the ground began to shake with a deafening rumbling and screeching. 

The two halves of the bridge lifted, slowly, and the gate was pulled up, opening the passageway deeper inside. After a few minutes, the noise stopped, and they stood in silence for a moment, everyone desperately listening for any reaction to the noise. Nothing came out of the tunnel and no sound came from further inside. 

“Well…” Asra said slowly, “if there’s anyone inside, they know we’re here now.” 

He drew his sword and led the way cautiously across the bridge. Beyond the portcullis and another short hall lay a large room, with a pair of heavy metal doors directly in front of them. Hallways stretched off to either side. There was no sound. No sign of movement. 

“Eenie, meenie, minie, mo,” Asra hummed, and then pointed to the left with a questioning glance to his companions. Alexa shrugged and nodded and they headed down the hall. 

The first door they came to led into a small storage room. Asra told the other three to watch the door while he and Alexa snooped around. Inside, they found mostly preserved food. It was impossible to tell how old it was, but there wasn’t a thick layer of dust. 

“Food…” Alexa mused. “Why would devils need rations?” 

Asra looked at her, puzzled. “That’s… a good question,” he said. “I doubt anyone would eat canned whatever-this-is just for the joy of eating.” 

They found nothing else in the room and moved on to the next door. Inside was a very clean and organized laboratory. Asra’s best guess was that it was an alchemy lab of some sort, but there were absolutely no labels on anything. There were no notes in the drawers. No records of what had been created there. There were shelves full of strange concoctions and menacing objects in jars, and there was a metal chair, bolted to the floor with manacles on the arms and legs. 

“That’s… probably fine,” Alexa said. 

At the end of the hallway was a heavier metal door, with no knob. Next to it, on the wall, was a lever. Asra pulled it down and the door slid open. 

“Watch the hall,” he said, leaving Carin, If’Binedz, and Gruni outside again as he and Alexa went in. 

The room was larger than the previous ones, lined with rows of countless cells. Several of them had corpses inside. 

“Is this place… _What _is this place?” Asra asked, unable to even come up with a guess. 

Alexa didn’t reply, leaning down to peer at one of the emaciated bodies. The walls of the cells were covered in scratches, made by prisoners desperately trying to escape. Cautiously, Alexa poked her rapier through the bars and nudged the body lightly. 

“What are you—?” Asra started to ask, before the body shifted and the hand clenched, trying to grab Alexa’s sword. “Fuck!” He startled backward into the bars of another cage and heard a rattling growl behind him. He ducked out of the way as another of the corpses lunged up, slamming into the bars and reaching through, trying to grab him. 

He and Alexa ran back out into the hallway, startling the other three, and Asra lifted the lever back up, shutting and locking the door. 

“Uh… don’t go in there,” he said, smoothing a hand over his coat and trying to look less ruffled than he felt. 

They walked back down the hall to the large room and headed down the other passage, electing to ignore the massive, imposing, doors for now. 

The first door they found opened into an armory. Nearly the entirety of a wall was window, looking out beyond the large doors into a dark hallway. Alexa leaned toward the glass, squinting. 

“Something’s moving down there,” she said softly. 

Asra looked out next to her. After a moment, he saw it too. Something flickering, like a shape moving in front of a distant lantern, but they saw nothing. There was a sense of dread, deep within him, that was building with every moment they spent here. It sharpened with every flicker. He turned away.

Beside the window was another lever, as well as near the door to the room. The one near the door was obvious—to lock the door from the inside as a security measure. The one near the window was less so, but Asra guessed that it opened the large doors in the main room. He decided not to touch it for now. 

The hallway was shorter than the other and rounded a corner at the end. The smallest hint of sound echoed down the hall and Asra held up a hand, stopping everyone as they approached. 

“Who’s the quietest?” he asked softly. 

Alexa and If’Binedz crept forward down the hall and Asra backed the other two toward the armory, just in case. He watched as Alexa and If looked around the corner. They were still for a moment before they looked at each other and both of them scrambled backward and came sprinting back down the hall, gesturing wildly and silently. 

Everyone went into the armory and Asra pulled the lever by the door, which slid shut and locked. 

“What is it? What did you see?” he asked. 

Alexa was panting and shook her head. “Demons,” she said. “Lots of demons. They seemed to mostly be asleep, but…” 

Asra stared at her. “Well… shit,” he said.

They were all silent, uncertain of what to do now. Asra listened at the door for any sound from the hallway beyond. He couldn’t hear anything. Alexa tapped her foot nervously.

“If they don’t have reinforcements, we could probably take them,” she said, not sounding incredibly confident. 

Asra shook his head. “Volin needs to know about this,” he said. “Everyone get ready.” He pushed the lever and the door slid open, revealing an empty hallway. He peered out and saw nothing. Evidently the running footsteps of two panicked devils hadn’t been enough to rouse the demons. 

They hurried back into the main room, trying to be as quiet as possible, and back across the bridge. After everyone was across and into the relative safety of the tunnel, Asra and Alexa pushed the levers back up, lowering the gate and dropping the bridge. Asra let out a breath he didn’t realize he’d been holding now that they couldn’t be followed, and turned, heading back up the slope toward the distant, flickering firelight.


	12. Stygia: Elemental Chaos

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> rip alexa

“Demons? Are you certain?” 

It had taken Volin a few moments to speak after the exploratory party had explained all they had found in the facility. As uncomfortable as Asra had started to feel down in the structure, it had faded somewhat now that they stood back within the firelight with the others. He didn’t want to consider the implications of him starting to feel safe around devils. 

Normally, for someone covered in chains, Volin had an oddly calming presence. Right now, he looked more worried than Asra had ever seen him. Not a good sign.

Alexa nodded. “Positive,” she said, quietly. 

“How many?” Volin asked. 

Alexa looked at If’Binedz. “Um… like… six or seven? That we saw.” If’ nodded. 

“We saw movement further in, too,” Asra added. “Not certain it was demons, but judging by the dead devils in the foyer, I can’t imagine there’s a lot of friendly things left in there alive.”

“And the… undead… things in the cells,” Alexa said. 

Volin exhaled. “Show me,” he said, turning and beckoning to Ken. They stood up from their place near the fire, saying something to the others, and grabbed their weapon from where it leaned against the sled, walking over to join the rest of them. 

Asra turned, looking back into the darkness. He didn’t want to go back down, but he took a breath and started walking. 

“We dropped the bridge, so they couldn’t follow us,” Asra said, as they approached the end of the tunnel. Volin looked out across the chasm at the gate and then nodded, almost approvingly. 

Asra and Alexa opened the gate again, waiting, tense, as the bridge shrieked into place. The silence that followed was deafening. They waited with bated breath, listening for any sound from beyond the gate. None came, and once again, Asra found himself wondering how the sound wasn’t enough to rouse the demons. 

The hallways were unsettlingly quiet as they all made their way, stepping lightly, down to the room where Alexa and If’Binedz had seen the demons. Asra leaned around the corner, peering carefully into what looked to have at one point been a common room. There were a few tables and chairs and lounging around and on them were a number of horrifying creatures. Even before his vision shifted and he saw their chaotic auras, he recognized the small, rotted figures of the demons that had been dropped on them in Avernus. There was an unwelcome sight, seemingly snoozing on one of the tables, that appeared to be a mouth with legs. Two other figures lay in mounds of ratty fur, like hideous amalgams of ape and pig. 

“What’s our plan here?” Asra whispered. He shifted back and looked at Volin. 

Volin gestured forward, saying nothing, evidently deciding to let Asra take the lead, which was the last thing Asra wanted, so he looked at Alexa. 

“No matter what we do, it’s going to make noise. More of them might come out of those doors,” she said. 

“Maybe we should make noise on purpose,” Asra said. “If there end up being too many of them we can retreat, either back to the armory or across the bridge and try to drop it under them.” 

Alexa smiled. “I can make noise on purpose.” 

“Stay by the door, don’t get cornered,” Asra told everyone, quietly, and then nodded to Alexa. 

They all stood, stepping through into the room. Alexa crept a little bit closer to a few of the demons and then stomped, casting a thunderwave that echoed around the room, flinging demons and chairs away from her. Instantly, they were all awake, snarling and howling, scrambling to their feet to rush the devils. 

The fight was brief, going both better and worse than it could have. No reinforcements arrived from the adjoining rooms, but the demons that were in the room managed to separate the devils into small groups. Asra and Alexa ended up back to back again, both trapped in a corner when one of the ape-like beasts shuddered and let off a noxious cloud that almost made Asra black out. Once they killed it, he had to stagger away, glad that he hadn’t eaten since they had entered Stygia so he had nothing to throw up. Alexa didn’t look much better as she stumbled toward the door, pausing to flip off a mane as it scuttled toward her and send it reeling with a psychic attack. 

With the demons dead, and the adjoining rooms confirmed to be empty, they headed back toward the armory. 

“So can we go home yet, or…” Asra asked. 

“Not quite yet,” Volin replied, somewhat sympathetically. 

Asra sighed. He looked at Alexa. “How do we want to do this?” 

“Lock ourselves in here and open the big doors?” Alexa suggested. 

That had been Asra’s only plan too, but he didn’t like it. “Like devil sardines, in a convenient little tin for all the demons,” he said. 

“If you have a better idea—” 

“I don’t.” Asra pulled the lever, shutting and locking the armory door with all of them inside. Alexa walked over to the window and looked out for a moment before she pulled the other lever. Slowly, the huge doors began to swing open. As they did, Asra focused on the flickers of shadow down the hall, watching the movement stop as the doors ground across the stone floor. 

They waited, after the doors stood open, but nothing came down the hall and there were no further flickers. After a few minutes, they opened the door to the armory and walked cautiously into the entryway, looking down the dark hallway. 

Dread settled heavily in Asra’s belly as they stepped into the hall. It was lined with several doors, some closed and others standing ajar. Figures lay unmoving on the floor further in and, more puzzling, there were numerous piles of ash on the carved stone. 

Asra gripped the hilt of his sword, listening desperately for any sound of movement apart from their footsteps that seemed to echo far too loudly. As they got close to the first door, beside which lay one of the corpses, Alexa and If’Binedz decided to go further on their own. Everyone else hunkered down in the shadows behind the door, watching as the two crept down the hall, checking doorways as they went. 

One of the doors began to creak open and Alexa quickly laid down behind one of the corpses, playing dead. If’Binedz stepped swiftly behind the door as it opened, pressing himself up against the wall. 

The figure that emerged was unlike anything Asra had ever seen. Humanoid in shape, though it appeared to be partially made of dark crystal. Its movements were jagged and uncanny, as if it was being puppeted. It seemed almost to move without moving, shivering and jittering as it stepped out into the hallway. It turned almost immediately toward Alexa and Asra tensed, ready to run forward. 

Alexa rolled back, getting to her feet quickly and drawing her rapier, not quite swift enough as the creature was on her faster than it should have been and grabbed her, lifting her off her feet. If’Binedz stepped out from behind the door, running up and slamming his daggers into its back. It stiffened, shuddering, and dropped Alexa. Slowly, it collapsed. Nothing more appeared and they quickly checked the other rooms before beckoning the rest of the devils out. 

“What is that thing?” Asra asked, approaching the fallen, crystalline, creature. Closer, he could see it wasn’t entirely crystal. They had stabbed out through its flesh, as though they had grown inside of it and were trying to escape. He blinked, adjusting his vision, and quickly had to look away. The aura that surrounded the crystal was reminiscent of that around demons, but deeper, somehow. More violently chaotic. It gave him a headache to look at. 

Asra turned to Volin and found him looking curiously at one of the piles of ash on the floor. Volin looked up, catching his gaze, and gestured to the doors. 

“Search these rooms. See if you can find anything that might explain what happened here,” he said, and then flashed a different glance at Ken. 

Asra frowned, getting the feeling Volin was hiding something, but reminded himself to be a good devil, and turned, heading into one of the rooms as the others split up. 

The rooms along the hall seemed to be offices, full of records and notes. They were dense and difficult to understand, talking about research being conducted on something referred to as a ‘mote of chaos.’ Asra collected up a number of the notes and stepped back out into the hall. He halted, biting back his announcement of what he’d found. 

Volin had knelt and was looking at the corpse of the crystal demon, speaking quietly to Ken. As Asra watched, Volin pocketed something. He walked over, trying to listen in to their hushed conversation, but Volin looked up and fell silent. They both stood as Asra approached.

“Did you find anything?” Volin asked.

Asra held out the notes. “Something about a mote of chaos. Seems like they were fucking around with it.”

Volin looked over the papers, as Alexa and the others came back from their searches. They each held similar notes that painted a vague picture of devils experimenting on mortals, attempting to unravel the secrets of the mote of chaos. 

“Do you think they accidentally made demons?” Alexa asked. 

“I bet they made whatever _that_ is,” Asra said, pointing at the dead, half-crystalline demon. Something occurred to him suddenly and he shifted away from the corpse. “Hey, you don’t think that crystal can turn devils into demons, do you?” 

Alexa made an uncertain noise, also moving back. “I hope not,” she said

Volin exhaled, not voicing an opinion, and tucked the research notes away. “Let’s keep going.” 

Asra sighed as they started down the hallway again. He walked next to Alexa. “How much do you want to bet the mote of demons or whatever is what Mammon wants?” 

Alexa looked dismayed. “That _would _be our luck,” she said. 

At the end of the hall, there were doors to the right and left, down short hallways. They checked the right first and found an experimentation chamber. Strange, sharp implements hung from the ceiling over exam tables. Strapped down on one of them was the corpse of another demon with crystalline shards jutting out of it, that had been flayed open for autopsy. The restraints of another table looked to have been broken and there were more piles of ash on the floor. Asra swept a boot through one of them, curious. He turned around, leaving Alexa to poke curiously at one of the blades hanging from the ceiling. He found Volin, crouching, looking at another pile of ash, frowning thoughtfully.

Asra walked over and leaned over his shoulder. “What is that?” he asked. “They’re all over the place.” 

“I’m not sure,” Volin said. 

Asra leaned back and looked away, conflicted. Volin knew more than he was letting on, of that Asra was almost certain. And yet, he needed to trust _someone_. Since he had woken up in Avernus, he had been on edge, unable to be certain of anything around him. His entire life, he had been surrounded by friends. He wasn’t used to being alone. It was beginning to wear on him. 

The left hallway led into another cellblock. Inside the cells were more of the crystalline demons, all moving in the same strange shuddering way as the first one. They reached out of the bars, trying to grasp at the devils as they walked past. Alexa paused at one of the cells and started trying to talk to the demon inside. 

Assuming she would be occupied for a while, Asra walked over to Volin. 

“Can I talk to you for a second?” he asked. 

“Of course,” Volin said and they stepped a little further down the row. 

“What’s going on here?” Asra asked. “You seem like you know more than you’re telling and that’s… fine, I guess. I mean, you’re allowed not to tell us shit, but I’m… I’m _trusting_ you and if I die because you didn’t tell me something that would have saved me, I’m going to haunt the fuck out of you.” 

Volin lifted a hand and Asra tensed, but he just placed it on Asra’s shoulder. “You’re right,” he said, with a small smile. “I’m sorry. If I figure anything out, I’ll tell you.” 

Asra held his gaze for a moment and then sighed. “Yeah. Whatever,” he said, shrugging his hand off and walking back toward Alexa, who had now progressed to tossing small rocks at the demon. 

She didn’t seem to notice him, so Asra ducked down one of the side aisles between cells. He pulled his hat out of his coat and put it on, channeling the magic to make himself look like one of the crystal demons. He crept up behind Alexa. Everyone else had spread out, looking at the other demons or talking to each other and didn’t notice him.

Asra grabbed Alexa and she screamed. Everyone came running, weapons drawn, and Asra let her go, sweeping his hat off before he got stabbed. Alexa turned around and punched him in the stomach. Asra backed up, laughing, with his hands up. 

“I couldn’t resist,” he said. 

“Asshole,” Alexa said. 

Past the cellblock lay another long hallway that turned a corner and led into a cavernous, circular room. Around the perimeter lay a moat of spikes and in the center of the room, upon a pedestal, sat a black crystal. Long, sinuous tendrils of shadow reached out from it, laying on the floor behind the pedestal. There was no movement, no hint of life, but there was an oppressive air of dread within the room. It was familiar, and it took Asra a moment to recall the cave near Wealdstone. It was the same feeling, but stronger. 

“That’s definitely the thing, right?” Alexa asked. 

“It seems like the most magical thing we’ve seen,” Asra said. “Unless Mammon wants a dead demon or a can of beans.” 

“How do we… get it?” she asked. “Do we just grab it?” 

“I’m not going near that thing,” Asra said. 

Alexa thought for a moment and then drew her rapier and handed it to Asra. “I’ll get it,” she said. “I think I’d be the most useless if it possesses me or turns me into a demon or whatever.” 

Asra stared at her. “Your logic is that you’re the most… killable?” 

“Yes,” she said, and then pulled the lever near the door that dropped a bridge over the moat. She walked carefully across and into the room, pausing for a moment to think. Asra handed her rapier to If’Binedz, drawing his own sword in preparation for whatever was about to happen. 

“Nymm?” Alexa called, clapping. Her imp appeared on the floor next to her a moment later. 

“Yes?” he asked. 

“Can you get me a lead box big enough to hold that thing?” she asked, pointing at the crystal. 

“Hmm… I’ll be right back!” he said, vanishing with a pop. While he was gone, Alexa peered at the crystal and then flicked her wrists and summoned a saxophone, testing its efficacy as a bat. Asra could almost see her plan forming. 

Nymm reappeared, sitting atop a large metal box. “Will this work?” 

“Yes, that’s perfect!” Alexa said. “Thank you.” 

Nymm vanished again. Alexa grabbed the box and carried it over to the pedestal. She made a few practice swings with her instrument and then slammed it into the crystal, aiming to knock it into the box. What happened instead happened fast. The dark vines all suddenly writhed to life and wrapped around Alexa, lifting her off her feet before slamming her down into the ground. She screamed in pain. 

“Shit,” Asra hissed, running across the bridge into the room. He cut through a few of the vines as they lashed around, not quickly enough to reach Alexa before she hit the ground again. When the vines lifted her, she wasn’t moving, and her eyes were closed. 

Asra ducked, avoiding another tendril, and rolled forward to reach the vines holding Alexa, just as one of them reached toward her face. It stabbed a thorn deep into her forehead, drawing no blood. 

Asra cut through the vines holding her, catching her before she hit the ground again. He lowered her to the floor, tapping into the Celestial magic within himself. He watched her wounds heal, but she didn’t move and didn’t wake. She was breathing and her heart was beating. _Why isn’t she awake?_

“Alexa? Alexa! _Wake up!_” 


	13. Alexa: Waking Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alexa has a most confusing experience.

Cold...

Bright.....

The first sensation to register was the cold, then the brightness and then, all at once, the pain. _ Everything _hurt. Something dug into her back, something else into her thigh. Her hand twitched against something cold and wet and she drew in a shuddering breath. A shapeless question drifted through her mind before being swept away in the sluggish stream of sensations.

Somewhere she thought she heard a shout.

* * *

Warm...

Dim.....

Sensations filtered in again, one after the other, as her brain slowly roused itself. It was warm and dry, a low orange light filtered in from somewhere unseen, and everything around her was soft – a bed, a faint feeling of recognition. Everything still hurt, but less than it had before. It felt like her shirt had gotten twisted and tight and she tried to shift to loosen it, failing when she realized she was held down by a weight on the blankets and when the movement sent a lance of pain through her ribs.

She hissed and swore quietly, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for the pain to recede.

Something stirred next to her in response to the sound and the movement.

“Alexa?”

A soft voice, tinged with fear, and one that Alexa would recognize anywhere; one that made no sense being in her life right now. She blinked her eyes open and her brow creased in confusion – Meredosia sat next to her on the bed, one hand hovering over Alexa’s shoulder. A myriad of emotions danced across her face and tears welled up in her eyes. Her hand brushed across Alexa’s head, brushing her hair back before coming to rest on her cheek.

Alexa hummed a non-committal, confused acknowledgement.

Meredosia choked a noise that was somewhere between amusement, relief, and panic.

“I didn’t think…” she stopped, voice shaking, before taking a deep breath and trying again. “The healers said you might not…” again, she trailed off, not being able to give life to her fears. “I’m glad you’re awake.”

Alexa hummed again; with all the aches she almost wished she was still asleep. Or at least sitting up – trying to have a conversation while laying on her back was more annoying than she’d expected. She tried to wiggle her way up to sitting, wheezing with the effort and newfound weakness. Meredosia tsked at her and frowned, but helped her sit up and propped some pillows up behind her.

Finally satisfied, Alexa let her head fall back against the pillow behind her and sighed. Weight and warmth pressed against her side as Meredosia sat as close as she could without jostling Alexa too much.

“What happened?”

Meredosia’s breath hitched slightly and she fussed with the blankets for a moment before answering.

“Your horse slipped and you fell,” she said. “It was extremely lucky someone was there. If they weren’t--” Meredosia trailed off again, a slight waver in her voice.

Alexa grabbed her hand and gave it a squeeze. “Hey, it’s fine. I lived… apparently. Feel like I got hit by a carriage, but I lived.”

“You did… and you need rest. Try to get some sleep.”

Alexa snorted and slouched sideways against Meredosia. “I’m certainly not about to go anywhere.”

* * *

It was well into the day when she woke next, roused by the sound of a door sliding open. She squinted and blinked at the figure in the doorway and waited for her brain to catch up.

“You’re awake,” the voice said, with some surprise. Phillip – Meredosia’s giant of a younger brother – completely without armor and weapons for once.

“Sort of,” Alexa said with a yawn.

“Do you want food?”

“Just coffee for now, I think.”

Phillip gave a small nod and disappeared back through the door.

So she was still here. Wherever or… _ whenever _this was. A dream, maybe? Some weird new magic? As she struggled her way back to sitting up and held her breath waiting for the aches to subside again, she decided if this was a dream it was both the best and worst dream she’d ever had.

Although…

She listened – no footsteps signaled Phillip’s imminent return just yet.

“Nymm… _ Nymm! _”

One second… two seconds… three seconds…

There was no familiar pop in the air, no tapping of little imp claws on the tiles. Nymm simply hadn’t appeared. Alexa scowled and snapped her fingers.

“_ Nymm, you—” _

“Are you… alright?” Phillip asked, suddenly appearing in the doorway and pinning her with a quizzical look. “You look… kind of mad.”

Alexa schooled her expression back to a neutral smile. “I’m fine. It’s just been a hell of a… day?”

Phillip handed her a mug and then took a seat in a chair nearby. Heat radiated from the mug into her hands. A deep breath brought with it the nearly forgotten aroma of the coffee and she closed her eyes for a moment.

_ Her _ coffee in _ her _ mug in _ her _ room. It was all so familiar, so real, so tangible.

She took a sip and hummed in delight.

“What did you dream about?” Phillip asked, hesitantly.

“Hm?”

“When you were sleeping and fevered – you kept mumbling names,” he said. “Asra, Volin, Drekker – who are they?”

“Oh, um…” She looked down into her coffee, not sure how to answer that. Of course she knew who they were – she had equally real and tangible memories of weeks worth of chaos with them. But how did you explain all of _ that _ to someone without sounding like you’d lost your mind?

“They’re all devils. I think I… died… and went to Hell… Drekker’s the guy who owns my soul. Kind of an asshole.”

Phillip stared at her in silence. So not like that, then.

“Mhm…” He nodded slowly. “That… must have been quite the terrible dream.”

Alexa shrugged a shoulder, not exactly a yes or a no. It hadn’t been all bad, but she didn’t necessarily feel like detailing the last month or so of being dead to anyone at the moment. Although, if she… was alive here, apparently having been rescued after the horse accident that had killed her… and if Nymm hadn’t heeded her summons…

“This is, uh, going to be a strange request but is there holy water in the castle?”

A confused blink was her only response for a moment. “I don’t know, but I can check I suppose?”

“I would appreciate it.”

It was clear he was baffled by the request, and Alexa was glad he didn’t ask more questions before disappearing from the room once more. No doubt he was already thinking she’d lost her mind, and she was sure saying “yeah I’d like to dunk my hand in it to see if it hurts me” wasn’t going to help that.

While he was gone and while she was waiting for the holy water, she tried to figure out what this all was. Had she… died in Stygia? Was this what happened to dead devils? Had the crystal vines done something? Had demons drug them into the abyss?

She blinked and squinted at her hand, trying to read her own place in the hierarchy before realizing she’d never tried to use devil sight on herself before. There was no way to tell if it wasn’t working because she wasn’t a devil or if it wasn’t working because you couldn’t read yourself.

She sighed.

Maybe… all that had been a dream. She definitely hurt like she’d fallen from a horse and broken every bone in her body. Time seemed to move like it should and not in the way it moved in dreams. The bed felt real, the mug felt real, Meredosia felt _ real _.

Phillip came back into the room with a small vial in his hand. He shrugged a shoulder as he handed it to Alexa.

“It’s not a lot, but this was all I could find,” he said.

“This is plenty, thank you.”

“Meredosia will be back later,” he said, stepping back out the door. “Try to get some rest.”

The door clicked shut and nervousness fluttered to life in Alexa’s stomach. She gripped the smooth vial tighter. Nothing in this world made sense; everything pointed to her being a regular half-elf and not a devil. If she was wrong, though… this was going to hurt. _A lot_.

She sat her coffee on the nightstand next to the bed and popped the top off the vial. Her hands shook as she held the vial in one and held the other out flat to catch the water. She took one deep breath, inverted the vial, flinched, and……

Nothing.

The vial joined the coffee mug on the nightstand and she stared at her hand. It was cold now, and dripping wet, but that was it. No burning, no sizzling flesh, nothing.

None of this made sense.

She scrunched back down under the blankets and stuffed her face into them. Everything still hurt and she was confused and tired and was pretty sure she wouldn’t be able to walk around the castle even if she wanted to.

* * *

Cold...

Bright...

The first sensation to register was the cold, then the brightness and then the motion of the sky overhead. A moving sky, slightly wrong. 

No. Wait. The sky wasn’t moving; she was.

Whatever she was in hit something and the jolt sent a lance of pain through her head. It came to rest somewhere behind her eyes and she squinted as she felt a headache blooming. Somewhere out of sight came a gruff infernal obscenity.

Hell.

Stygia.

Alexa buried her face in her hands and quietly screamed.


	14. Stygia: Lies and Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> review of stygia: 0/10 would not visit again

“Wake up!” 

Alexa didn’t move. Asra ducked over her as a vine whipped past above his head, listening to her breathing. It was steady and strong. Her wounds were healed. Her eyes moved behind their lids, indicating that something was going on in her mind. But she didn’t wake. 

A scream of pain startled Asra back into reality and he turned, watching as a vine pulled back from Gruni. The bloodied dwarf collapsed and burst into flames. Asra hunkered down over Alexa, fear gripping him as Gruni was reduced to a pile of ash and Asra realized what had happened to every devil in the laboratory. 

“Carin, If’Binedz, go back and get help!” Volin ordered. 

His voice made Asra tense. _He knew_, he thought. Before he could turn and yell at Volin for lying to him, he heard another exclamation of pain. He looked up, watching Volin stumble backward, blood sluicing down his side. Ken was looking equally bloodied, neither of them able to make much headway against the crystal.

“Sell your soul, Asra, it’ll be fun,” Asra muttered, standing up and pulling a healing vial off his belt. “Volin! You’re not getting out of this that easily!” 

Volin turned, catching the vial as Asra threw it to him. Asra ducked, quickly, dodging another vine. Part of his mind wondered why the crystal wasn’t as focused on him as the others. The rest decided to take advantage of that. He swept his sword over his head, severing several of the tendrils and stood up, moving closer to the pedestal in the space he had created. 

Asra slammed the hilt of his sword into the crystal, trying to knock it off the pedestal into the box. It barely budged, seeming either heavier than he had expected, or affixed to the pedestal somehow. He hit it a few more times, increasingly desperate. He wedged the blade under it, shuffling it toward the edge, occasionally having to duck as a vine lashed toward him. He could hear that the other two weren’t doing well, and Carin and If’ had yet to return with reinforcements. 

With a last desperate shove, Asra managed to throw the crystal into the box. He slammed the lid shut and locked it, breathing shakily in the sudden silence. He exhaled and straightened up, turning to look for Volin, relieved when he saw him still alive. 

He was kneeling on the floor, breathing hard, and bleeding heavily, but he was alive. Ken was crouched in front of him and Volin was speaking to them quietly. Asra fished around on his belt for another healing potion. As he pulled the vial out, he saw Volin push something into Ken’s hands. The other devil closed their eyes briefly and then pulled out a dagger and rammed it through Volin’s chest. 

“Hey!” Asra shouted, drawing his sword and running toward them, as Ken stepped back. The bearded devil held up their hands. 

“You’ve got two seconds,” Asra snarled, grabbing the front of their armor.

“Wait,” they said. They pulled Asra’s free hand away and pushed a small satchel into it. “Keep this hidden. Don’t tell anyone what happened here. Tell them we found a glabrezu, and you were the only ones to survive.”

“What?” Asra asked, taken aback. “No. What are you talking about? What’s going on? Why did you—?”

Before he could finish, Ken stepped back and turned their dagger on themself. Asra startled back away from the flames, breathing hard. 

“What the fuck just happened?” he said, quietly, looking around, hoping someone would come through the door and tell him this was all just a joke. But he saw nothing except an empty room, Alexa unconscious nearby, and three new burn marks marring the stone. 

He looked down at the satchel in his hand for a long moment and then put it in his pocket without opening it. He needed to prioritize. He could process this later. 

Asra sheathed his sword and picked Alexa up, slinging her over his shoulder. He grabbed the box under his other arm and left the room, just hoping he wasn’t going to run into any more demons on the way back. 

By the time he made it back to the bridge, Carin and If’ came running across with the other devils. 

“What happened?” If’Binedz asked. “Where are the others?” 

Asra hesitated and then cleared his throat. “Glabrezu appeared out of nowhere,” he said. “Must’ve come out of the crystal or something. Volin and Ken didn’t make it.” 

They all stared at him. Belatedly, Asra realized how much the story made it sound like _he _had killed Volin and Ken. He had to hope Drekker would believe him. He couldn’t imagine devils had a pleasant penalty for murder. 

“Come on,” he said, when no one else took charge. “We’re leaving.” He handed the box to If’Binedz and readjusted Alexa’s weight, walking across the bridge and into the tunnel. 

“Drop the gate,” he said, once they were across, only half-expecting anyone to listen to him. He headed back up toward the doors, passing the corpses near the levers. Something about that seemed wrong, but he couldn’t think about it right now. He couldn’t think about anything. 

They got back to the sleds and Asra cleared out a space in one of them for Alexa. He bundled her back up in her parka and laid her down on one of the fur blankets. As a last hope, he took out another healing potion and poured it down her throat. She swallowed and he watched some bruises fade, but she still didn’t wake. 

Asra sighed and climbed out of the sled, helping If’Binedz secure the lead box in the other one. They all bundled up and opened the doors, walking back out into the frozen landscape of Stygia. 

In the cold and monotony, Asra had very little to distract his mind from mulling over what had happened. When they stopped to rest, he climbed into the sled to check on Alexa—who was still unconscious—and sat down, out of sight of everyone else. He got out the satchel that Ken had given him and opened it. Inside were shards of dark crystal, pulled from the demon they had killed. 

Asra quickly closed the bag and hid it back in his coat, even more lost than he had been before. Why had he been given this? Why was it a secret? Did having those crystals so close put him in danger? What was he meant to do now? He had too many questions and there was no one left to answer them. 

They moved on again, ever closer to the portal back to Avernus. Asra was dozing off as he walked, letting his mind slide in and out of focus, until his boot smacked into a rock, nearly tripping him. 

“Fuck,” he growled, stumbling. He turned, flipping the rock off, and then heard a muffled noise from inside one of the sleds. He ran over and hopped up onto the side of it, leaning over to look down at Alexa. 

She lowered her hands slowly from her face and looked at him. 

“Good morning,” Asra said, hiding his relief that she was awake. “Volin’s dead.” 

She stared at him and blinked a few times. “…what?” 

“Volin’s dead. Big ass demon killed him and Ken, after you conveniently passed out.” 

It was easy to lie. It was always easy to lie. He wasn’t sure he trusted Alexa. He liked her, but at the moment he was regretting trusting anyone. 

Alexa groaned, simply wrapping herself up in the fur and rolling over. Asra scoffed and hopped back down into the snow. 

* * *

Asra stood in front of Drekker’s door, holding the lead box, and regretting his decision to let everyone else relax while he went to report to Drekker by himself. It would be easier to lie, he had thought. But now he was wishing Alexa was standing next to him for moral support. 

He took a breath and knocked. After a moment, the door opened, and Viri stood on the other side. She narrowed her eyes slightly, almost puzzled, and then stepped back to let him in. Asra walked over toward the desk, stopping a careful distance away and waiting for Drekker to acknowledge him. Eventually, he looked up from whatever he was working on. His face remained impassive, but there was a hint of curiosity in his eyes. 

“Where’s Volin?” he asked, after a moment. 

“Dead,” Asra said, stepping forward and sitting the box on the desk. 

Drekker stood up. “What happened?” he asked, as he moved to open the box. 

“Careful,” Asra said sharply, stepping back when Drekker looked at him. “It’s a, uh, ‘mote of chaos’. We found it in some sort of laboratory where they were making demons.” 

Drekker blinked. He looked back down and opened the box, looking at the crystal for a moment before closing it again. 

“Demons?” 

Asra nodded. “The place was full of them. Every devil that had been there was dead before we arrived.” He paused. “When we were trying to retrieve the crystal, it… summoned a glabrezu somehow. It killed Volin, Ken, and Gruni, but the rest of us were able to escape with the mote.” 

Drekker didn’t reply immediately, one hand resting atop the box as he thought. 

“That is… unfortunate,” Drekker said, eventually. He was quiet for another moment, long enough that Asra wasn’t sure if he should leave or not. 

“You can go. I’ll have a new assignment for you and Alexa soon.” 

Asra inclined his head. “Yes, sir,” he said quietly, turning and leaving. He closed the door behind him and stood in the hallway a moment before he sighed heavily and swept a hand through his hair, heading back toward the stairs. 

“I need a drink.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> asra actually somehow took no damage from that crystal but i think it was entirely luck. the dm just kept rolling really badly against him


	15. Interlude: Therapy Elephant

_Dear Kealii — do you remember Empyrean Vineyard? You stole me a bottle of elderberry wine from there, once. I never did ask where you learned how to break and enter. Aren’t your parents lighthouse keepers? Where did you learn to pick a lock? Anyway. My point is, it was amazing. I’ve never once had any better drink than that, to this day. And then, do you remember, that time we ordered drinks in that underground market in Darkwell? And they just scooped it out of that bucket that I’m pretty sure had a dead rat in it? You dared me to drink it. I thought I was going to black out. Imagine that one, but if it was about as thick as stew with a smell like that dead beer soaked rat. That’s what devils have for alcohol. I want to die. _

An elephant’s trunk smacked gently into the side of Asra’s face, interrupting his writing. He looked up at Dauphine and closed his journal, laying back against her side. Alexa lay next to him, staring at the ceiling. She was talking. She’d been talking for a while, but she’d stopped making sense a long time ago, so Asra wasn’t listening anymore. He could already tell he wasn’t going to remember this night. 

He moved his hand around, searching for the bottle he knew was nearby, and grabbed it, upturning it over his mouth. Nothing came out and he sighed. He rolled over and stood up, nearly falling over, only catching himself on the wall of the stable. 

“This’s been… fun… probably, but I’m gonna go find a tavern,” he said. “You’re welcome to come along.” 

Alexa didn’t respond, seeming to be deep in conversation with Dauphine. 

Asra left the stables, trying not to move his head too quickly as he walked down one of the streets of Minauros, looking for someplace to buy more drinks. Nakak had shown up a little while after he had reported to Drekker and delivered him a pouch of gold. Asra was intent on spending all of it forgetting what had happened in Stygia. 

He ducked into the first tavern he found and ordered two bottles of wine. Looking around, he saw some devils playing a dice game with an empty seat at their table. He stumbled over. 

“Hello,” he said. “I’m willing to trade alcohol for conversation.” 

One of the devils laughed. “In that case, make yourself comfortable, friend.” 

Asra sat down, keeping one bottle for himself and giving them the other. They looped him into the game—which he was terrible at—and continued their conversation. Gossip and rumors about Archdevils Asra didn’t know. One of them was evidently an arms dealer of some sort, with a story about Asmodeus wanting to invade the Abyss. 

“Good for business, at least,” they said, and then smiled at Asra. “Are you interested in getting in on the deal, friend? I guarantee it’ll pay dividends.” 

Asra finished off his bottle. “Oh, thanks, mate, but I’m not… planning on living that much longer. Wouldn’t wanna waste your time.” 

The devil shrugged. “Suit yourself. If you change your mind…” 

Asra shook his head, sending the room spinning. He stood up unsteadily, gripping the back of his chair. He walked over to the bar and leaned on it, trying to get the bartender’s attention. 

“Well, well, well, look who it is…” 

Asra turned. There was a devil sitting on a stool next to him, looking at him with narrowed eyes. 

“Hi,” Asra said, and then tapped the bartop again. 

“I’ll admit, I’m surprised to see you. Did you just get back, as well?” 

Asra looked at him again, squinting. His voice sounded familiar, but for the life of him, Asra couldn’t place it. Besides that, his tone was harboring something. He sounded polite, but it was a thin façade over something icy.

“If you’re looking for company for the night, I’m not really in the mood. Hey! Barkeep!” 

They finally looked at him. “What?” 

“One for the road, please.” 

“I really can’t believe you don’t remember me,” the devil said, feigning hurt. 

Asra sighed, frowning at him, trying to remember where he’d heard that annoying voice before. He blinked as it came to him. 

“Ohhh,” he said. “Reh’dad, right? Sorry, last I saw you looked like a person.” Asra looked up and smiled as the barkeep approached, handing over some coin and taking the bottle. 

“Yes, well, I’ve recently been on a trip through the Styx, so I can understand how you might not recognize me,” Reh’dad said. 

“Bummer,” Asra said. 

“Indeed. Out of curiosity, how did _you_ come back from Wealdstone? I have to imagine it was as violently as me, since the church was alerted to devils in town. It would be strange for them to only target half of them.”

“That would be weird,” Asra said. He paused, wondering how to get out of this conversation. “Y’know what, you should talk to Volin. He knows more than I do. He’s in the hotel down the road. The tall one. Room 316.” 

Reh’dad tilted his head. “I think I will.” 

“Good for you,” Asra said, and pushed himself off the bar and walking out onto the street. He made his way slowly to the inn, having a bit of trouble with the stairs, and walked past Volin’s now empty room to his own. 

Asra locked the door behind him and made it to the bed before collapsing. He rolled over onto his stomach and curled up, not bothering to even take off his boots before he fell asleep. 

* * *

Dauphine let out a trumpet of greeting as Asra stepped into the stable. He was unsurprised to see Alexa sitting next to the elephant. She looked more awake than last time Asra had seen her, though he couldn’t really remember the prior few days. They’d had about a week in Minauros at this point and he was pretty sure Alexa hadn’t slept the entire time. 

“Thought I might find you here,” he said. “I’m bored, let’s go find something to do.” 

Alexa looked up. “Did you know Reh’dad’s alive?” 

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“I think I unnerved him,” she said. “He was trying to talk to Volin, I think, and then tried to talk to me. He didn’t want to talk about time travel, though.” 

“Gosh, I can’t imagine why,” Asra said. 

Alexa stuck her tongue out at him. “Do _you_ want to talk about time travel? Because I have some theories about dimensions and—” 

“Alexa, I can’t tell you how badly I don’t ever want to talk about time travel,” Asra interrupted. She was starting to look a bit manic. She had been strange, this entire week, oscillating between quiet sadness and wild conspiracy theories about the multiverse. He needed to distract her. 

“Tell you what,” he said. “Let’s go find—” 

Before he could finish, there was a pop, and a sudden weight on his shoulder. Asra turned his head, seeing a familiar, purple imp. They were holding a roll of parchment. 

“Hello, Nakak,” he said. “What have you got there?” 

“Your next mission, from Drekker.” They handed it over. Asra traded it for a silver necklace with a pendant shaped like the crescent moon. Nakak put it around their neck, adding to their growing collection of jewelry.

“He doesn’t want to brief us?” Asra asked, trying to hide his relief. 

“Uh… no,” Nakak replied. 

“I mean, that’s fair,” Alexa said, standing up and brushing straw off her dress. She walked over as Asra unrolled the note. “I wouldn’t want to talk to us either.” 

“We’re going to someplace called Onesi to help someone called Pherwa,” Asra read. He flipped the parchment over. “That’s it?” 

“That’s all he gave me,” Nakak said, shrugging. 

“No… time limit? No details?” Asra peered closer at the words. 

Alexa laughed. “No time limit? Well _that _was a mistake.” 

“Right? I guess… let’s go.”


	16. Onesi: The Tomb of Melladran the Magnificent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ask your doctor if melladran is right for you

Onesi was a beautiful, tiered city, built over a river into the surrounding topology, and glittering in the sunlight. The moment Asra and Alexa passed through the gates, Asra was struck with an odd mix of relief and discomfort. He had never been a fan of wealthy people or large cities, especially those with walls around them. He felt penned in. And yet, there was something pleasant about being back amongst mortals, under a blue sky that wasn’t constantly on fire or raining acid. It was well into summer at this point and the weather was perfect. 

“How do we find this person?” Alexa asked. She seemed quieter than usual, but Asra attributed it to her strangeness the past week. 

“Nakak gave me an address. Suppose we could ask one of the guards.” 

Alexa looked him up and down and smiled. “Let me do the talking,” she said. She took the paper from him and looked around, spotting a nearby guard walking down the wide street. 

“Excuse me!” she called. 

He turned and smiled. “How can I help you?” 

“Could you tell us how to get to this address?” she asked, showing him the paper. 

The guard looked at it and then looked at Alexa. His gaze moved to Asra and his expression changed a bit, his smile becoming almost amused. 

“Are you sure?” he asked. “You might not be… uh… welcome in that part of town.” 

“Why don’t you let me worry about that?” Asra said, remembering why he didn’t like rich people. 

The guard shrugged. “Don’t be surprised if the guards stop you,” he said. “You’ll follow this road up until you reach the fountain, then go west, through the gates. Should be pretty obvious, but there are other guards up there that can show you.” 

“Thank you so much,” Alexa said graciously. Asra rolled his eyes, following her up the road.

As they walked, he watched the citizens that they passed, taking in their fashion. Feathers seemed to be in vogue. Before they reached the upper tier, Asra ducked into an alley and put his hat on, using the magic to put himself in the same sort of attire. Alexa followed him and snapped her fingers, transforming her clothes in a shower of glitter to something more similar to the fashion of the city. 

“You just always have to one-up me don’t you?” Asra asked. 

Alexa smiled and they left the alley, continuing up the street until they found a square with a fountain. The guards at the gate to one of the upper tiers didn’t bat an eye as they walked through, and helpfully pointed them in the direction of Pherwa’s estate. 

“I don’t get it,” Asra said in an undertone to Alexa as they walked away. “Anyone can put on fancy clothes. I could be coming in here to murder everyone but they just let me waltz in because I’m wearing the right shoes.” 

Alexa shrugged. 

Pherwa’s estate, like most of the city, was beautiful. It wasn’t the largest house Asra had seen in Onesi, but it wasn’t small by any measure. They walked down a twisting path through a sculpted garden, under arching willow trees. A gentle breeze stirred the flowers, filling the air with their sweet scent. 

Alexa knocked on the door and a few moments later it was opened by a butler, who looked them over. 

“How may I help you?” 

“We’re here to see Pherwa,” Alexa said. “We were hired to help her with something.” 

The butler let them inside and asked them to wait in the foyer. He left, presumably going to ask Pherwa if she was expecting visitors. Asra looked around. The house looked almost like a museum inside. There were incomprehensible devices and specimens in glass cases and in frames on the walls. Asra found it somewhat amusing that since he had become a devil he had been left unattended in a wealthy person’s home far more often than he ever had been in life. 

Before he could pocket anything, the door opened, and a gnomish woman entered. She narrowed her eyes slightly, puzzled. 

“Hello,” she said. “I’m told you wanted to talk to me. Make it quick, I’m very busy.” 

“We work for Drekker’Vas,” Asra said. 

Pherwa’s eyes widened. “Ah,” she said. “Come with me.” She led them through into a study or workshop. It was in a state of organized chaos. Besides the small sitting area, it was comprised of different workbenches and bookshelves. 

Asra and Alexa sat down on one of the sofas and Pherwa sat across the coffee table from them. 

“I was expecting Drekker himself,” Pherwa said. 

“Sorry to disappoint,” Asra said. 

“No, no, I’m sure you’ll do,” she said. She handed over a flyer. “I need you to rob a museum for me.” 

Asra burst out laughing in surprise. Alexa took the flyer, looking at it. Asra leaned over and saw that it was advertising a special exhibit coming to the museum: The Tomb of Melladran the Magnificent. Evidently a dead wizard whose belongings had been looted. The centerpiece of the showcase was his wand. 

“Have you ever robbed a museum?” Alexa asked. 

“No. But how hard can it be to pocket a wand?” 

“Not the wand,” Pherwa said, frustrated. “The ashes!” 

“Oh, forgive me for thinking it was the thing you gave us a picture of,” Asra replied. “What ashes?” 

“Pallon’s ashes. The urn in the back of the picture. They’re _mine_,” she snapped. “Those damn Mordeaux’s _stole_ them from me! So I need you to break in there and steal them back!” 

“If they stole them from you, can’t you just tell the guard?” Alexa asked. 

“They didn’t—” Pherwa stopped and let out a sharp breath. “They didn’t break in and steal them. I _discovered_ the ashes and then _they _cut me out! And now they’re parading them around, pretending like they discovered the tomb themselves! It’s infuriating! Those ashes are _mine_!” 

Asra and Alexa exchanged a glance. 

“Right, well… we’ll get them back for you,” Alexa said, in a soothing tone. 

“Well, yes, that’s why I made the deal!” Pherwa snapped. She took a breath. “Is there any other information you need?” 

“I think we’re good,” Alexa said. “We’ll keep you updated.” 

“Yeah, for sure,” Asra said, getting up and quickly following Alexa out of the house. 

They stood on the pathway out front for a moment, after the door had closed behind them. 

“Does she seem a bit…” Alexa said, trailing off. 

“Yeah…” Asra agreed. 

Alexa looked at the flyer again. “We’ve got either three days or a month,” she said. “Depending on whether we want to get it before the exhibit opens. Or how long it takes us to figure out how to heist a museum.” 

Asra laughed. “So, a month. Should we go scope this place out?” 

Alexa nodded and they left Pherwa’s estate. It was afternoon by this time and the streets were busy with people. The museum wasn’t hard to find. It sat in one of the upper districts of the city, surrounded by a sculpture garden through which a throng of patrons wove their way inside. Banners hung around the entrance, advertising the coming exhibition. 

As they climbed the stairs to the front doors and walked inside, Asra grabbed a map from one of the employees near the entrance. The museum was divided into regions and eras of art and history from around the world. There were four floors, with a rooftop garden and a restaurant, and the special exhibitions wing was on the second floor. They found a staircase and headed up. 

Currently, the wing was hidden away behind heavy curtains and velvet ropes. Asra unfolded the map all the way, pretending to look at it, while Alexa hid behind him and peeked through the curtains. 

“Nothing in there but displays,” she said. 

“Well, it doesn’t start for three days, I guess it makes sense that they don’t have the stuff out yet,” Asra replied. He folded the map up and they headed away, looking around for ways to get into the museum after hours. There were large windows, but they didn’t open. 

“Maybe the garden?” Asra suggested. “If we climb up to the roof and break in through that door… One of us should invest in lockpicks.” 

“Yeah…” Alexa clearly wasn’t paying attention to him. She was watching a young girl, who was standing in front of a suit of armor, looking up at it with wide eyes. Her parents didn’t seem to be nearby. 

As they watched, the girl reached out a hand and touched it gently against a shin guard. Instantly, the armor vanished and an ear-splitting alarm sounded. Guards sprinted over, weapons drawn, relaxing slightly when they saw it was just a little girl. One took her by the arm and led her away, while the other guard reassured the surrounding patrons that everything was fine. 

In the chaos, Alexa spoke a quiet spell. Her eyes glowed softly. In lieu of magic vision, Asra took a few steps closer, looking at the base the armor had been on. On the pedestal was a disc of dark stone. As he looked around, he could see that every piece had a similar disc underneath it. 

“Those discs are magical somehow,” Alexa said softly. “We should ask Pherwa about it.” 

“Yeah. If they make the object disappear when it’s grabbed, that could be a problem.” 

“Where do they go…? Is there a vault here?” Alexa wondered. 

“Maybe…” Asra murmured. As they walked back downstairs, Asra caught the eye of one of the guards near the entrance. She had been watching him and quickly looked away, blushing. He smiled. 

“I might be able to get us some information,” he said, walking over to her. The guard glanced at him again as he approached and then looked away. 

“Fascinating institution you’ve got here,” Asra said, leaning against the wall next to her and flashing a charming smile when she looked at him. 

“It is,” she agreed. “Can I help you with anything, sir?” 

“Perhaps. What’s your name?” 

“Oh, um… Amerie.” 

“Amerie… that’s beautiful. Do you give tours, Amerie?” 

“I’m not… really supposed to leave my post,” she said, apologetically. “There are guides, though, if you want…” 

“Ah, but then I wouldn’t get to spend time with you, would I?” Asra replied. 

Amerie blushed, looking down. “I… I don’t think someone of your standing would want to spend time with me,” she said softly. 

“Don’t you think you should let me decide that?” Asra asked. “I think I’d quite enjoy spending time with you.” 

She managed a smile, still blushing. “Well… I still can’t leave my post, unfortunately. But… I get off at sunset.” 

“Fantastic,” Asra said, beaming. “I’ll meet you outside.” He took her hand and kissed it, before walking away with a wave. Amerie returned the wave, looking a bit dazed. 

Asra found Alexa sitting on the front steps outside. 

“What did you do?” she asked. 

“Got a date with one of the guards in a couple hours. I’ll find a way to ask her about the vault. In the meantime, let’s get back to Pherwa, and I want to buy an actual suit.” 

“Plus we still need to find a place to stay,” Alexa said, getting up. They headed down the stairs, back through the gardens and toward Pherwa’s estate. 

“Oh yeah. Is Drekker paying for our lodgings?” Asra asked. 

Alexa lifted her hands in an exaggerated shrug. “Do you think he secretly tells me things behind your back? I’m sure we have enough gold for one of these places, though. I want to stay somewhere _nice_ for once.” 

* * *

An hour later found the two devils in the most luxurious room Asra had ever been in. After a brief visit to Pherwa’s estate, where she told them all she knew about the museum’s security systems, and a trip to a tailor, they had found a hotel in one of the middle districts of the city. It was prohibitively expensive, but Alexa was more than willing to pay for their room to be back in what she called ‘civilization’. 

Pherwa’s insight hadn’t been much, only to tell them that the security plates had a twin somewhere else, where the object was transported. Asra suspected a vault or some nearby safehouse. It was something to ask Amerie about, at least. 

“What are your plans for the evening?” Asra asked as he placed his bag on one of the beds. 

“I’m going to relax,” Alexa said, testing the fluffiness of the pillows. “Did you know they have a spa _in_ the hotel? Finally, people who know how to live.” 

Asra laughed. “Seriously, were you nobility in your past life or something?” he asked, changing into his new outfit. “Ugh. How do you people do anything in clothes like these?” 

Alexa snorted. “Rich people _don’t_ do anything, that’s the point.” She flopped back onto her bed, sighing happily as she sank into the mattress. 

Asra looked at himself in the mirror, working his hair into something more presentable than he usually bothered. He put his hands on his hips and lifted his chin slightly, practicing a haughty expression. 

“There. Do I look enough like a jackass?” 

“You always look like a jackass.” 

Asra stuck his tongue out at Alexa and dug through his coat, getting a few daggers and his cards, hiding them in the few pockets on his coat. After a moment of indecision, he tucked a thin lead box into his jacket, making sure Alexa’s eyes were closed. The box was something Nakak had procured for him during their last week in Minauros and held the shards of crystal that Ken had entrusted him with. He didn’t know _why_ he carried them around, but he didn’t trust them to be anywhere else, either. At least the lead box felt safer than a satchel. 

He checked his reflection again, making sure none of his weapons could be seen. 

“All right, I’m leaving,” he said. “Don’t wait up.” 

“Oh, I won’t,” Alexa promised, lifting a hand to wave as he left the room. “Have fun.”


	17. Alexa: Uncertain Truths

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which a few beans get spilled

Alexa woke with a quiet huff. Warm, mid-morning light shone in through the windows, blinding her when she tried to open her eyes. It was later than she’d intended to sleep in, then. Briefly she wondered why Asra hadn’t woken her sooner before realizing he was probably off getting himself some food or conning some poor rich fool out of their coin and wouldn’t be the type to wake someone up to do work. 

She yawned, stretched, and immediately bit back a cry of pain as her entire body protested the motion. Confusion blossomed in her mind as she desperately tried to think of some way she’d gotten injured in Onesi. Certainly a museum tour hadn’t been that strenuous.

A gentle hand brushed her hair back and a voice that definitely did not belong to Asra asked, “How are you feeling?”

A panicked giggle escaped Alexa before she could stop it. “Oh, peachy. Never better. Love feeling like I’ve just been trampled.”

Meredosia’s face came into view as she propped herself up on an elbow to give Alexa one of her patented ‘now is not the time for sarcasm’ looks. Alexa sighed and rolled her eyes and Meredosia’s expression flattened.

“Do you feel a little better at least?” she asked.

“I… suppose so,” Alexa said. Memories of days she didn’t quite remember living filtered into her mind and she pressed her palms into her eyes and groaned. “I think I’m going to have a headache, though.”

Meredosia hummed in thought before pushing herself up to her knees. “Here, let me help you up and then I’ll go get us some breakfast.”

It was a bit of a process to go from laying down to sitting up without something ending up in pain, but eventually they managed it and Alexa let her head thump backwards into the headboard as Meredosia disappeared out the door.

Here.  _ Again. _

Everything was so real - it was so incredibly and  _ frustratingly  _ real, and part of her desperately wished this version of reality truly  _ was  _ the real one. Maybe all the devil stuff was a dream after all… 

Except that the devil stuff made just as much sense being the true reality. 

Alexa  _ had _ sold her soul. She remembered her deal, she remembered her life, remembered leaving for Onesi, remembered Sinfen spooking, dancing sideways and then  _ lurching _ sideways. She remembered her scream, Sinfen’s scream, the scream of her escort. She remembered waking up in Hell. Remembered everything that had happened in Hell since with a level of clarity dreams didn’t come with.

To the best of her knowledge, the world where she died and the world where she didn’t were both real and she didn’t know what to make of it.

The quiet pad of feet on the floor signaled Meredosia’s return and Alexa looked in her direction. She gave her a tired smile and gratefully took the mug, if only for something to distract her from her thoughts. Meredosia settled in next to her, cradling her own tea in her hands. When Alexa remained uncharacteristically still and quiet, she put a hand on her shoulder before brushing the back of her hand against her cheek, against her forehead.

“Hey… what’s wrong?”

Alexa frowned and tapped a thumb against the side of her mug.

“I… ” she started, stopped, sighed. Never before had she had this much difficulty telling Meredosia anything.

“Alexa…?”

She drew in a breath and spoke before she could think twice about it.

“I sold my soul.”

Meredosia was silent, but Alexa felt the sudden stillness from her.

“I sold my soul for fame,” she continued. “I sold it and then I died on the way to Onesi.”

“... Phillip told me what you told him. About the devils in your dreams.”

Alexa shook her head. “They’re not… I don’t think they’re dreams. I remember…  _ everything _ . I remember dying, I remember Hell - the balor, Volin, Asra, going to Wealdstone, going to Stygia - I remember  _ all of it _ in painful, perfect detail. Sometimes I sleep there and stay there, sometimes I sleep there and wake up here and I… I don’t know  _ why _ . I don’t know what to believe.”

There was a quiet clinking of porcelain as Meredosia sat her tea aside to grab Alexa’s hand.

“ _ Alexa _ .” Her voice was firm now. “You are  _ alive _ , you are  _ here _ .  _ This  _ is real.” She pressed Alexa’s hand to her chest so Alexa could feel her heartbeat. “ ** _I _ ** am real.”

Tears blurred Alexa’s vision and she pulled her hand free to wipe them away. The sudden wave of emotion was unexpected and it surprised her how upset she truly was. Meredosia’s face fell and she pulled Alexa into a gentle hug.

“I promise you, we are going to figure this out.”


	18. Onesi: Moonshadow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ghosts will steal your breath

He really should move on, Asra thought, as he stood among a small crowd, watching two children doing a street corner performance. He needed to reach the museum before Amerie got off her shift. 

But he had time, and there was something about these children that was filling him with a soft nostalgia. He used to do the same thing when he was little, almost the exact same act. Asra would give psychic readings for passerby—all nonsense, based on what he could read from their appearance—and his friend Aria would use the distraction to sneak around and slit purses. 

The little girl was pretty good. She had slipped up a few times as Asra watched, but the crowd was entertained enough by her not to notice her assistant slinking around. Asra kept an eye on him, smiling when he saw the boy skimming coin out of a few purses. He reached into his own pocket and pulled out five silver, holding it in a closed fist until the boy got close. He held his hand down and opened it, feeling a smaller hand take the coin, followed by a quiet giggle. 

Asra glanced down, with a friendly smile, and caught the boy’s gaze. The boy grinned back and then his eyes widened. Unexpectedly, he clapped his hands over his nose and mouth and bolted, running back through the crowd toward his friend. 

Asra frowned, puzzled, pushing gently past a few people to the front. Had the boy recognized him? He doubted it, but… He blinked and refocused his vision. Nothing changed. They weren’t devils, then. He had certainly never seen them before. So why did the boy seem so frightened? Asra was rather tall and a bit odd looking by most standards, but he’d never gotten _that_ reaction. 

The boy hurried to the girl’s side, and she looked annoyed at him for interrupting her act. He moved his hands only slightly to whisper furiously in her ear, jerking his head minutely in Asra’s direction. She looked up and her eyes went wide. She struggled to contain the reaction and swallowed. 

“Well, that’s all I can do for tonight, I’m afraid. I’m feeling rather faint,” she said to the crowd, gathering up the money they’d gotten. “I’ll be back tomorrow!” 

She did a tiny curtsey before she turned away and ran. The boy sprinted after her, both of them holding their hands over their mouths and noses. 

_What the fuck?_ Asra wondered, following after them. His meeting with Amerie was all but forgotten as he chased the children into a side street. Once they broke the crowd, they started to sprint flat out. 

“Hey!” Asra shouted, running behind them. “Wait! I’m not going to hurt you, I just want to talk!” 

They ignored him, still holding their hands over their mouths as they bobbed and weaved through alleys and streets. Normally, Asra might have been able to catch up easily. Children were quick, but he had long legs and a longer history of running. Unfortunately for him, he had dressed up for dinner with Amerie and his new, expensive shoes weren’t suited for this. He wished he had opted for an illusory suit after all, but it was too late now. 

They seemed to know the city better than him and were able to keep a good distance ahead, dodging through crowds of startled citizens and around market stalls. The girl pulled out a knife as she ran past a wagon, slitting the rope that held barrels to it. Asra cursed and stepped into a doorway, letting them roll past, losing a few steps on the children. 

He racked his mind as he ran, trying to think of a spell that might help. None jumped to mind, but something else did. 

“Nakak!” he shouted. 

The imp appeared on his shoulder as usual and squeaked, digging their claws in as he ran. 

“What—uh—what?!” they asked, baffled. 

“I need to slow those kids down! Any ideas?”

“Uhh…” Nakak jumped off his shoulder, transforming midair into a raven, pulling ahead. They caught up to the girl and snatched her trailing cloak, making her stumble. It was enough for Asra to catch up as they were crossing a bridge over the river. He tossed Nakak a ring, not wanting them to be out in public sight for too long, and they vanished again. 

The children ducked through a tavern, trying to regain their ground, scattering patrons and tables. Asra followed through the kitchen, using one of the chefs to give himself a little extra momentum as he burst through the back door. As he rounded the corner into the street, he heard the girl crying for a guard. 

“Thieves!” he shouted, hoping he was more convincing than she was. “Stop those thieves!” 

The guards were clearly confused, but one reacted quickly enough to grab the boy’s sleeve. The girl grabbed his other arm and yanked him out of the guard’s grip, darting into another alley. It was enough for Asra to lunge forward and grab her cloak, dragging her to a halt. The boy stumbled, turning around uncertainly. The girl shook her head and he kept running. They both still had their hands tight over their mouths and noses. 

Asra held up a hand as the guards followed. “It’s all right,” he said. “I’ll handle this. She only stole a few silver, I’m sure she’ll give it back without a fuss.” 

They nodded, leaving him alone, but staying close enough to intervene if needed. 

Asra crouched and the girl leaned as far away from him as possible, hands over her mouth, eyes wide and terrified. 

“Why are you running?” he asked softly. “Why are you afraid of me?” 

She shook her head mutely. 

Asra sighed. He reached into his jacket and found his cards, pulling one out at random. The Lovers. He looked at it for a moment and closed his eyes. The arcana didn’t speak to him anymore, but the words came to him nonetheless. In a moment, he became aware of the girl’s thoughts. She was panicked and words ran over each other in her mind, but at the forefront he heard: 

_Ghosts will steal your breath._

Asra frowned, opening his eyes. “I’m not a ghost. Why do you think I’m a ghost?” 

She shook her head again, but her thoughts betrayed her. 

_You look like the picture. You must be a ghost. _

“What picture?” Asra asked. His first thought was of the Knight of Swords. It bore his likeness in his tarot deck, as the Page of Wands bore his mother’s. But it was impossible that she had seen that deck. 

Her next thought wasn’t words, not exactly, but it chilled him to his core. She thought briefly of a charcoal drawing and then of a man. A half-drow, with long braided hair and soft features. Her perception of him was different than Asra’s but it was undeniable who it was. He would know that face anywhere. 

He almost let her go. 

Asra stared at her, forgetting how to speak for a moment. His mouth stumbled over a few syllables before he managed something coherent. 

“Wh—where is he?” 

She shook her head, tears starting to well up in her eyes. 

Asra took a breath, trying to reign in the panic that was rising in his chest. “Please,” he whispered, voice shaking. “I’m not a ghost. I promise. I’m not going to hurt you. Please, just tell me where he is.” 

She looked uncertain, but still shook her head. 

Asra put the card away and pulled out one of his daggers. Her eyes widened further and she struggled to get out of his grip, but Asra laid the blade against his own skin, slicing lightly into his arm, just enough to draw blood. 

“Do ghosts bleed?” he asked softly. 

Her fear faded to confusion and she moved one hand away from her mouth, touching the drip of blood, making sure it wasn’t an illusion. She looked at him. 

“Promise you won’t steal my breath?” she asked, voice muffled. 

Asra smiled. “I promise.” 

She lowered her hands and pointed toward the wall of the city. Asra let her go and shifted back, standing up. She tensed. 

“You can run, if you want,” he said. “It’s all right.” 

She hesitated and then turned away, beckoning him, and hurried down the alley. Asra followed. By now, the sun had set. Amerie was waiting for him, but he had forgotten about her. He had forgotten about Alexa, about their job, about Drekker. Nothing mattered anymore but this. 

The girl led him out of the city. Onesi was situated in the picturesque foothills near the mountains and the road they walked along followed the bank of the river. A meadow of grass stretched on the other side until it met the edge of a forest. The girl cut off the road and ran through the field toward the trees. Asra followed, glancing up at the moon as it rose. Waning, but not yet new. 

Asra followed the girl into the trees and they came to a clearing. It appeared empty and he felt an involuntary dread rise, bidding him to turn around. 

“Moonshadow,” he whispered and the feeling vanished. The force that had been pushing against him disappeared and his vision focused, revealing the truth of the clearing. It was full of painfully familiar caravans and tents, with a large fire in the center that people were gathered around. 

The girl ran forward and Asra halted. His heart pounded in his throat. He could see the little boy near the fire, speaking animatedly to a blonde elven woman. He pointed back toward the city, seeming frantic. The elf shook her head. She was as familiar as the tents and Asra thought he might throw up. Or pass out. Maybe both. 

He realized he was shaking. Trembling. What was he going to say? What could he _possibly_ say?

The girl grabbed the boy’s shoulder, startling him, and then said something to the elf, who lifted her gaze. Her eyes met Asra’s and widened. She gasped, hands going over her mouth. For a moment, everything was silent. Other familiar faces turned to look at him, all shocked, at first, before fading into confusion and anger and grief. 

The elf came toward him, almost cautious, like she wasn’t sure he was real. 

“Hi… Aria,” Asra said softly. 

She stopped about a foot away, staring at him, tears welling up in her green eyes, and then her face suddenly shifted into anger. Asra saw the slap coming and didn’t try to dodge. It hurt. There was more strength than one might expect contained in the petite acrobat’s body, and she was furious. 

“You bastard!” she snapped, crying, and then threw her arms around him. 

“I’m sorry,” Asra gasped, returning the hug tightly enough to lift her off her feet. After a moment, he placed her back down and she stepped away. 

“You’re _sorry_?” Aria echoed, sobbing and angry. 

“I’m—what do you want me to say, Aria?” Asra asked. “I’m _sorry_. I have no excuse, I—” 

“We buried you!” she interrupted. “We mourned—do you have _any_ idea what you did to us? What you did to _Kealii_?” 

That hit Asra like a sword to the gut, stopping any defense he might have had. He let his gaze roam the troupe, searching for that specific face. He didn’t see him. He saw people he had known his entire life. People he had made bury him. His adopted mother Desiree was looking at him with her arms crossed. There was only a hint of emotion behind her gaze, but she was well practiced at hiding it. Asra expected she would have some sharp words for him. 

“Anyone else want to hit me?” Asra offered, trying to lighten the mood. He could see Lellada cracking her knuckles. “Form a line. No doubles.” 

No one smiled, but they did come up, one by one, welcoming him home with either hugs or slaps, or a punch to the stomach by Lellada followed by a hug tight enough to crack ribs. Bayle gave him a clap on the shoulder and leaned close, digging his claws in and baring sharp teeth. 

“You’re lucky Kealii loves you,” he hissed. “Or you’d be dead again for what you did to him.” 

Asra didn’t reply, unable to look Kealii’s bandmate in the eye. 

By the end of it, he was sore, but he knew he deserved every one. The only person who didn’t approach was Desiree, who gave him a look that he recognized. She wanted to talk to him alone. 

“Why?” Aria asked, and her voice faltered, anger giving way to grief. Her girlfriend, Liliane, stood by her side, holding her and giving Asra a stern gaze. 

“Why did I get stabbed?” Asra asked, forcing a laugh that just ended up sounding nervous. “Oh, I dunno, I just thought it might be fun.” 

Aria shook her head. “Why did you fake your death?” 

“I didn’t,” Asra said. “I _died._” 

Aria looked him up and down, arms crossed over her stomach, and lips pursed into an annoyed frown, obviously not in the mood for jokes. 

Asra tried to smile, lips trembling a bit. “I know, I’m dressed like a jackass,” he said. He cleared his throat. “It’s… um… okay, this is going to sound stupid, but I’m… a devil.” 

A few disbelieving snorts came from the troupe and Aria shook her head, annoyed. Asra exhaled. 

“I can prove it,” he said. “No weapons, no one freak out. Nakak?” 

The imp appeared on his shoulders. “Yes—oh. Uh…” They hunkered down behind his head, trying to hide. “Do you want them to see me?” they asked quietly. 

“Yes, I’m trying to prove a point. And… this stays between us, okay? Nakak, meet my family. Everyone… meet my employee.” 

“H-hello…” Nakak said nervously. Asra slipped off one of his bracelets and gave it to them, with a pat on the head. They vanished. 

A good number of the troupe were staring at him with slack jaws. There was no fear on their faces, just confusion. Something like concern had broken through Desiree’s mask. Aria let out a quiet breath, seeming unsure what to say. 

Asra looked around again, starting to get desperate. Where _was_ he? He looked at Aria and stepped closer. 

“Where… where is he?” he asked softly. 

Her gaze immediately shifted into something sorrowful and she looked away. “Where he always is, these days,” she said. She took Asra’s hand, squeezing it lightly, and led him away from the others, toward a familiar tent. Aria stopped outside the door, giving his hand another reassuring squeeze before walking away. 

Asra was shaking so badly he could hardly walk, but he pulled the flap aside and ducked in. The tent was lit by the soft glow of warm magic lights, floating near the ceiling. Asra stood still and quiet for a moment, just looking at the man inside. He was sitting on a few cushions, facing away from Asra. His lute was in his lap, but he wasn’t quite playing it, just plucking out a few, slow, thoughtful notes. His hair was down, falling in loose waves over the back of a familiar coat that was draped over his shoulders. Charcoal drawings were scattered on the ground nearby and Asra recognized himself in most of them. 

He opened his mouth and tried a few times to speak, but his throat had closed up. He managed to clear it, quietly, and it was enough.

The fingers on the lute strings stilled and Kealii put it aside. He turned and looked up. Immediately, his eyes widened and his lips parted with a quiet gasp. For a moment, he didn’t move, several emotions flitting across his face before it settled on grief and his eyes filled with tears. 

“Hey…” Asra said softly, unable to manage much else. 

Kealii quickly stood and said nothing, simply grabbing Asra and pulling him into a hug. Asra returned it tightly, fingers digging into his own coat that was over Kealii’s shoulders. He had spent the last three months imagining this moment and never imagining that it would actually happen. He couldn’t manage to say anything, only hold Kealii as tightly as he could, never wanting to let him go again. He pushed his face into Kealii’s hair and realized he was crying. 

“You died,” Kealii said, voice barely more than a whisper, muffled against Asra’s shoulder. 

“I’m sorry,” Asra said. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry. I love you. I’m sorry.” 

They stood like that, not moving for what felt like a lifetime. Eventually, Kealii leaned back, still holding tightly to Asra. He struggled with a few syllables and looked at him helplessly. 

“I’m sorry,” Asra said again, not knowing what else to say. 

“I found you,” Kealii said, voice trembling. “There was nothing I could do…” 

Asra could feel him shaking and pulled him back into a tight hug, holding him until it subsided. Kealii moved his hand, resting it over Asra’s heart. It was pounding, leaving an anxious lump in Asra’s throat, and he hoped it was enough to convince Kealii he was alive. 

“You remember my cards?” Asra said, by way of explanation. 

Kealii leaned back and nodded, looking puzzled. He glanced over to the side and Asra followed his gaze, seeing a familiar silk bag with the clear weight of a deck of cards in it. For a moment, he was confused. How did Kealii have them, if Asra had them? But, then again, they hadn’t been working properly. Oh, the magic had been there, but they had been utterly silent. If the troupe had found his body and buried it, everything Asra had must be a replication. 

“Oh…” he said. “That must be why they haven’t been working so well. Thank you for keeping those safe.” He looked at Kealii, who nodded again, wiping some tears off his cheeks. 

Asra hesitated. He had never told Kealii how he’d gotten those cards. It had never seemed important, but now… Now it was more important than anything. 

“A long time ago, before I met you, I… I bought those cards. They’re my mother’s, but… they disappeared after she died. Desiree thought they were stolen. I think they’re a little cursed, so who knows, but… The person I got them from didn’t charge me anything… except my soul. I thought she was fucking with me, but… um…” he faltered. 

It wasn’t quite disappointment in Kealii’s eyes. Sorrow, definitely. “Idiot,” he said softly, leaning back against Asra. 

Asra laughed softly, still crying. “Yeah, I know. But I’m still me. That was their mistake.” 

Kealii stood up on his toes, kissing Asra and putting their foreheads together. “I guess you always were a bit… devil-y,” he said, managing a smile. 

Another breathy laugh escaped Asra. He leaned down slightly, pulling Kealii into another soft kiss. 

“I can’t stay,” he said softly.

Instantly, Kealii’s smile vanished. His shoulders fell and his grip on Asra’s shirt tightened. Pain clenched through Asra’s chest and he shook his head. 

“I can stay tonight,” he said. “I’m _staying_ tonight. But… I’m only in town on a job and then I have to go back to hell. The guy who owns my soul is a dick. If I try to run away… gods, I would give _anything_ to run away with you, but if I tried… Well, it’s called _mulching_ and it’s about as pleasant as it sounds.” 

Asra wiped the tears from Kealii’s cheeks and kissed his forehead. 

“I swear I’m going to find a way,” he murmured. “Nothing will keep me away from you for good, now that I’ve found you.” 

Kealii grabbed his hands and held them. “What are we going to do, then?” he asked, his voice still soft and wobbly, but determined. 

“We’ll figure it out,” Asra said, squeezing his hands. “We’ll figure something out. But… right now, tonight… I just… I think we have some catching up to do.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i almost started crying when this happened in game


	19. Onesi: Hardly Working

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> as you can tell by all the things accomplished in this session, we're very good at dnd

Asra stretched slowly, trying to avoid disturbing the man dozing next to him. By the muffled noises coming from the camp outside, he could tell it was morning. He looked down at Kealii, who was curled against his side. Asra knew him well enough that he could tell he wasn’t asleep. He imagined he must be tired. They had been awake all night, as Asra told Kealii what had happened since he’d woken up in Avernus. He hadn’t meant to unload all of his stresses onto someone who had just gone through quite an emotional upheaval, but once he had started talking he couldn’t stop. It had been so long since he’d had someone to confide in. Someone he trusted completely. So he told him everything. 

Kealii had listened with sympathy, holding Asra close as he’d talked about what happened in Stygia. It was silly, Asra knew. Kealii couldn’t protect him from the horrors of hell, but he felt safe here in his arms. 

They had tried to come up with all manner of plans for the future, but so much was uncertain. The only thing Asra knew was that power meant freedom for devils. He just needed to move far enough up the ranks that he could work from the material plane, or at least come visit whenever he wanted. In the meantime, his best idea was sending stones, but they were prohibitively expensive. 

He yawned. He was tired, but he hadn’t wanted to fall asleep, afraid he would wake up and find that this had all been a dream. As he moved again, Kealii shifted, looking up at him. He smiled sleepily and sat up, just enough to lean over Asra and kiss him. When he leaned back and stretched, his loose shirt fell over one shoulder and Asra noticed something. 

“Hang on,” he said, sitting up as Kealii sat back. He pulled his shirt down, exposing a new tattoo of a rather familiar tarot deck over Kealii’s heart. Asra’s chest clenched with renewed guilt and he sighed, falling back onto the pillows. 

“You sentimental bastard,” he muttered. 

Kealii laid back down against him. “I missed you,” he murmured. Asra pulled him into a hug. 

“I’m sorry,” Asra said. 

“I don’t forgive you,” Kealii said. “But you don’t need to keep apologizing either. I know you never would have done this on purpose. I’m just glad you’re here. Safe. Alive.” He sighed. “I’m glad you came when you did, too. I was about to leave…” 

Asra’s hand drew absentminded shapes on Kealii’s back. “Really?” 

“Mm… I just… There were too many memories here. I just wanted to go home—oh.” He stopped, and Asra tightened his hug. Kealii laughed quietly. 

“What’s funny?” 

“I just realized… I have to explain this to my parents somehow… We were fairly close to home when you… They came and stayed with the troupe for a few days. And my last letter, I said I’d be home soon…” he sighed. “I don’t know how I’m going to tell them my boyfriend is a devil.” 

That sentence made him laugh again. He shifted, stretching. 

“I smell breakfast,” he said, and Asra recognized his tone. He wanted a distraction. Some way to escape his current thoughts. 

“Good, I’m starving,” Asra said. 

Kealii sat up, smiling. “Do you even need to eat anymore?” 

“No, but if you think I’m going to turn down Deirdre’s cooking, you’re crazy,” Asra replied, getting up and pulling Kealii to his feet and into a brief kiss. 

They left their tent and headed to the fire that had been built, over which Deirdre was making breakfast, with Sacha, her snow leopard, snoozing at her side. Only a few others were up this early, as the troupe had nowhere to be today, and Asra could feel their eyes on him. 

“I’ll get us some coffee,” Asra said. Kealii seemed reluctant to let him go, but he went to join Krishna and Sayana at the fire. 

Asra didn’t quite make it to the galley wagon before Desiree appeared out of nowhere and grabbed him by the ear, dragging him into her tent. 

“Ah, fuck,” Asra hissed, batting her hand away. 

She frowned, arms crossed. “So, do we have our fortune teller back?” she asked. 

“Welcome back, Asra, I’ve missed you so much,” Asra said. “Oh, thank you mother, I’ve missed you too.” 

Desiree sighed. 

“Seems like you already replaced me, anyway,” Asra said, referring to the little fortune teller he had chased here the night before.

“Vivi?” Desiree asked. “She is good. Less annoying than you.” 

Asra grinned. “You know you missed me.” 

“Less and less with every passing moment,” she said, with the hint of a smile. 

“To answer your question, no, because I belong to some asshole who wants me to rob a museum,” he said. 

That look of concern came over her face again and she looked away. “Is this my fault?” she asked, after a moment. 

“For not teaching me what happens to my immortal soul after I die and why I shouldn’t sell it? Possibly,” Asra said. 

Desiree shook her head. “I know I’m not the best mother…” 

“You’re _not_ a mother,” Asra said. “And you never asked to be. I don’t blame you. It was my own stupid decision and now I have to deal with the repercussions.” 

“Not by yourself,” she said. “Even if you are an absolute idiot of a fiend, you’re still welcome here.” 

Asra put a hand to his heart. “That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said to me. Are you ill?” 

She rolled her eyes. “Just don’t go dying again. That bard is bad enough when he’s not depressed.” 

“Wasn’t planning on it. Can I go eat now?” 

“Get out of my tent,” Desiree said. Before Asra could leave, she grabbed him again, pulling him into an unexpected hug. Asra let out an involuntary startled noise and returned it uncertainly. 

“You’re a no good menace and a waste of space,” she said. “And I feel bad for every other devil in the Nine Hells that has to put up with you.” 

“Careful,” Asra said. “You keep saying such sweet things, someone might think you have emotions.” 

Desiree leaned back, rolling her eyes. “I can’t remember why I missed you.” 

Asra tutted. “Aww. You did miss me.” 

“Get out of my tent,” Desiree said again, shoving him toward the door. 

Asra ducked back outside and got two cups of coffee, returning to the fire. He handed Kealii one and sat down next to him, an arm around his waist. 

“Did you get lost?” Kealii asked. 

“Desiree wanted to yell at me,” Asra said. 

“You’ve never deserved that more,” Aria said, sitting down on his other side and using him as a backrest, draping her legs over Liliane’s lap. 

Asra didn’t reply, struck by the sudden sense of familiarity. Sitting by a fire with Kealii on one side and Aria on the other. He could almost imagine he had never left. He exhaled and felt Kealii grab his hand and squeeze it, seeming to realize where his thoughts had gone. 

“There’s a show tonight,” Aria said. “If you talk to Desiree, she might be able to squeeze you into the act.” 

Asra snorted. “You really trust me to throw knives at you after I’ve been dead a few months?” 

“Haven’t you been practicing?” she asked. 

“On a few demons.” He shook his head. “I’ll watch. Oh, maybe Alexa would like to come.” 

“Who’s Alexa?” Aria asked, pouting. “Have you replaced me?” 

“Never,” Asra said, with mock offense. “No one could replace you. No one else could possibly be so annoying.” 

Aria grinned. “Flatterer,” she said. 

“I’d like to meet her,” Kealii said. “You said she plays the fiddle, right? Maybe she could join us for accompaniment tonight.” 

“Tell you what,” Asra said, “you can ask her yourself. After breakfast, we can go into town, if you want. Have a day out?” 

Kealii smiled. “If you thought I was going to let you out of my sight for a second today…” 

* * *

Alexa was staring into a cup of coffee, sitting at a table by herself in the restaurant of the hotel, when Asra found her. She didn’t react immediately when they walked up, seeming to be lost in thought. She looked exhausted and Asra doubted this was her first cup of coffee. 

“Hello? Alexa?” he said, snapping a few times. She startled and looked up. 

For a moment, she just stared at him before her gaze flicked to Kealii, who was leaning against his side with their arms locked together. She looked puzzled. 

“Hi… How was your night?” she asked. 

It was at that moment that Asra remembered Amerie and his plan to get information about the museum. 

“Oh… uh… My night was fantastic,” he said. “I learned nothing about the museum, but I also really don’t care, because I found something better. Alexa, I’d like you to meet Kealii, my boyfriend. Kealii, this is—” 

“Sorry,” Kealii said, staring at Alexa with an odd look on his face. “Are you… Alexa Nozama?” 

Alexa blinked. “Yes.” 

“You have a last name?” Asra asked. 

She looked at him. “You don’t?” 

“No? Why would I?” 

She opened her mouth briefly, and then sighed, deciding it wasn’t worth it. She looked at Kealii again. 

“Have we met?” 

“No,” Kealii said, his voice pitching up about half an octave. “I’m just a really big fan of yours.” 

“Oh gods,” Asra said, sitting down. Kealii sat down next to him leaning forward eagerly. 

“I saw you play at the symposium in Rosegarde, and at Whitewood Academy. I started trying to learn the fiddle because of you, but I could never get the hang of it.” 

“Oh, thank you,” Alexa said, surprised. “It’s been a while since I’ve met a fan.” 

“I can’t believe you have _fans_,” Asra said. “You never told me you were famous.” 

“Why do you think I sold my soul?” she replied. 

Kealii laughed softly, almost nervously. “You’ve made my life really weird,” he said, looking at Asra. Asra laughed. 

“Yeah, sorry about that.” 

Alexa had an odd look on her face, like she was trying to decide whether or not to speak. And then she looked at Kealii. 

“Hey, did you find Asra’s body?” 

Kealii tensed. Asra wrapped an arm around him and glared at Alexa. 

“Alexa, what the fuck?” 

“It’s… okay,” Kealii said quietly. He looked down and his mood had changed drastically. “I, um… I did, yeah.” 

Alexa frowned, thoughtful. She had that slightly manic look in her eyes again, the look she got when she tried to talk to Asra about parallel universes. 

“It’s not okay,” Asra said. “Just cause she’s apparently famous doesn’t mean she gets to be an asshole.”

“Sorry,” Alexa said. “Did you hear about my death?” 

Kealii exhaled. “Yes.” 

“Do you know when I died? Was it around the same time as Asra?” 

Asra stared at her. “What is wrong with you?” he demanded. 

Kealii leaned against him, thinking. “I think… yeah. About the same time.” 

“Hm,” she sighed, looking troubled. 

Asra looked at Kealii and found his brow had furrowed slightly. His eyes had a far away, sad look in them. He needed a distraction. 

“All right… if you’re going to get into your weird conspiracy theories about time travel again, I think we’re going to go,” Asra said. “Why don’t you just try to relax today? Visit the spa or something.” 

“What about the museum?” Alexa asked. 

“Oh, sorry, I didn’t realize you were so eager to work. We need to figure those plates out, right?” 

“I was thinking, maybe if we had one of the imps stand on it, they could tell us where they get teleported to,” Alexa said. 

“Good idea. We can go back tonight, once it calms down a bit. I’ll meet you back here this evening. In the meantime…” He stood and offered Kealii a hand. “I believe I promised you a day out, my dear.”

* * *

Alexa wasn’t asleep when Asra and Kealii returned to the inn that night, or, if she was, she wasn’t for long after Asra flung the door open. She was in her bed and, as she sat up, Asra threw her gift at her. It was a stuffed elephant. He had gotten it at Onesi’s zoo, one of the many places he and Kealii had gone today. It wasn’t the first zoo Asra had been to, but it was impressive. Not that he had been paying much attention to the animals. 

Kealii walked over and sat on Asra’s bed, stifling a yawn. After not sleeping at all the previous night and walking around town all day, Asra was feeling similarly exhausted. 

“Ready to go?” he asked Alexa, sitting down next to Kealii. She nodded, looking at her new elephant. He looked at Kealii. 

“You should get some rest,” he said. “I don’t want you close to this job, anyway.” 

Kealii looked disappointed as he realized what Asra meant. Asra wrapped an arm around him and pressed a kiss to his cheek. 

“Don’t pout, I’ll see you tonight. I promise.” 

Kealii sighed. “Fine. I’ll hold you to it. And I’m going to take a nap here first. This is the softest bed I’ve ever felt.” 

Asra laughed. “Make yourself at home.” He got up and leaned down, kissing him again, before he and Alexa left the room. 

The sun was going down as they made their way across town to the museum. At a thought, before they got there, Asra ducked into an alley and Malbec stepped out, adjusting a feathered hat. Alexa looked at her curiously. 

“Just in case Amerie is working tonight,” she said, and Alexa laughed. 

The museum wasn’t as crowded as it had been when they had first come, which was at once relieving and annoying. There would be less other patrons to worry about, but the guards would also have less people to focus on. As they walked in, Malbec saw that Amerie was, in fact, working tonight, but she didn’t give her more than a curious passing glance. The sort of glance everyone gave someone as tall as her. She relaxed slightly. 

“What’s our plan here?” she asked Alexa softly as they made their way up the stairs toward the exhibition wing. 

“Follow me,” Alexa replied. She led Malbec into a washroom and closed the door, laying a hand on her shoulder and muttering a few arcane words. Her eyes glowed briefly and she vanished from sight. Malbec looked down, realizing she couldn’t see her own hands. She laughed. 

“Clever.” 

They left the washroom carefully, holding hands so as not to lose track of each other, and walked to the exhibition wing. They ducked behind the curtain when the hallway was empty and found themselves in the dark room. It was empty, apart from unoccupied displays. 

“Nymm!” Alexa hissed. 

The imp appeared and almost immediately seemed confused. 

“Over here. We’re invisible,” Alexa said. 

“Oh!” he said, keeping his voice quiet as well. “What do you need?” 

“Can you hop up on one of these weird plates? If it teleports you somewhere, try to figure out where you are before you come back.” 

Nymm still looked a bit confused, but did as asked. He scrambled up onto one of the displays and tentatively stepped onto an empty plate. 

Nothing happened. 

“Umm…” 

“Huh,” Alexa said. “That was anticlimactic.” 

Malbec stepped closer, looking at one of the smaller plates. It was a featureless, dark disc, apart from a small inscription. Magical Security Solutions. She picked it up. 

Instantly, that ear splitting alarm went off. 

“Shit,” she hissed. “Let’s get out of here.” 

“Right behind you,” Alexa whispered. “Thank you, Nymm.” 

“No problem,” he said, and vanished. Malbec, now with no idea where Alexa was, made her way to one of the curtained doorways, as guards ran in and began searching around for whatever had set the alarm off. While they were distracted, she slipped out through the drapes and ran for the exit. 

Outside in the gardens, she eventually met back up with Alexa, after the invisibility spell abruptly stopped and she saw the bard standing a few meters away, looking around. Malbec tucked the small plate into her coat. 

“We should take that to Pherwa,” Alexa suggested. “Maybe she can figure out how they work.” 

“There was a company name on it, as well,” Malbec said. “Magical Security Solutions. We should look into it.” 

* * *

It was past dark by the time they made it back to the hotel, after dropping off the security plate at Pherwa’s. She had little immediate insight, but promised she would look into it. She had also given them the location of Magical Security Solutions, which they were planning on looking into in the morning. 

_Or maybe afternoon…_ Asra thought as he looked at Kealii, who was curled up on his bed, sound asleep. He smiled, walking over and shaking his shoulder gently. Kealii shifted, tensing as he woke up. He sat up quickly as soon as he focused on Asra. 

“You’re back,” he said, relieved. 

“I said I would be,” Asra replied. 

“Yeah, well, you’ve lied about that before,” Kealii said, standing up and stretching. His voice had the light cadence of a joke and Asra tried to smile. His expression must’ve given something away, because Kealii pulled him into a light kiss. 

“Sorry,” he said, softly. 

Asra smiled. “We should get home, I’m sure you’re almost late.” He turned. “Alexa, fancy an evening at the circus?” 

“The circus is in town?” 

“Only the best circus is in town!” Asra said. “Prepare yourself for a night of daring, danger, and mystery! Curiosities and oddities the likes of which you’ve never seen before, and never will again!” he announced, striking a pose. It had been a while since he had been on advertising duty, but the mannerisms were instinctive by now. 

Alexa simply stared at him and then laughed. “This… explains _so _much about you.” 

“I will take that as a compliment,” Asra said, grinning. 

As they walked through the streets, away from the inn and toward the edge of town, Asra could see a few lavender lights in the sky. Neela and Leena were already out, then, luring townsfolk to the troupe. The sky was dark, lit by no moon, and the stars were bright. 

Alexa hummed uncertainly as they entered the forest. 

“You aren't luring me out here to murder me, are you?” 

Asra laughed. “Maybe. People go missing all the time at night circuses,” he said, with the creepiest smile he could manage. 

“Don’t worry,” Kealii said. “It’s just the magic circle making you feel uneasy.” 

“Moonshadow,” Asra said, as the pressure became too sharp. 

“Moonshadow,” Kealii echoed, as the troupe came into clarity. 

Alexa looked nervous. “Um… moon…shadow?” Almost instantly, the anxiety fled from her expression and was replaced by fascination. 

The clearing was bustling with activity as the troupe made the last minute preparations. Everyone was in full costume. Aria and Liliane cartwheeled across the clearing in front of them and Aria stopped in a handstand, walking over. 

“There you are! We were wondering if you’d come. Kea, Bayle and Rosemary are looking for you, by the by.” 

“Oh, right, I should get going,” Kealii said. He turned and gave Asra a quick kiss. “See you after the show, babe.” 

“See ya,” Asra said. “Alexa, the upside down weirdo is—” 

Aria kicked him in the face with her bare foot. “Oh, this is the famous Alexa! Lovely to meet you.” She bent her leg, holding her foot out as if to shake Alexa’s hand. “I’m Aria. Unfortunate best friend of a dead moron.” There was a look in her green eyes, as if she was sizing Alexa up.

“Play nice, Aria,” Asra said lightly. 

“Hello,” Alexa said, shaking the offered foot politely. 

“Make sure to get a front row seat,” Aria said, before rolling back onto her feet and skipping away after her partner. 

Alexa looked at Asra. “Are… they all like that?” she asked, seeming more amused than disconcerted. 

“Have you never been to the circus before?” Asra asked. She shook her head and he laughed. “Yes, we’re all like that. But don’t worry. No one here bites… often.” 

He pulled Alexa off to the side as Neela and Leena skipped back through the circle and vanished into a tent. Everyone had hidden at this point and Desiree made her way through the clearing to dismiss the circle and greet the crowd. 

It was a successful night. Onesi was a wealthy town and the types who followed the lure to the troupe weren’t often the type to tattle to the guard. Asra almost let the new little fortune teller read him, but she still seemed scared of him, so instead he followed Alexa around as she explored the various performances and introduced her to the performers. She seemed especially delighted by Deirdre and Sacha. The main show was an acrobatic act, as usual, though not a routine Asra had seen before. It felt strange, in a way, to be part of the audience. 

After the show and after the townsfolk had gone on their way and Desiree had reignited the circle, everyone crowded around Alexa, eager to get to know her and share embarrassing stories from Asra’s childhood. 

Kealii skipped over, catching Asra by the shoulders and pulling him down for a kiss. “Did you enjoy the show?” he asked, eyes still alight with excitement the way they always were after a performance. 

“I could hardly watch, I was too busy enjoying the music,” Asra replied. 

“Flatterer,” Kealii said. 

As dawn came, Alexa eventually bid them goodnight and headed back to town, promising to come back tomorrow so she could bring her violin and trade songs with Kealii and his bandmates. Asra, meanwhile, was practically asleep on his feet after staying awake two nights in a row and he could see Kealii was the same. The bard didn’t complain as Asra dragged him to bed and quickly fell asleep wrapped up in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> it didn't really occur to me until i was writing troupe interactions, but most of the troupe are jock lesbians and i think that explains a lot about why Asra is Like That


	20. Onesi: Magical Security Solutions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> What can MSS do for you?

"Stop fussing with that."

Asra glared at Alexa. "This is a stupid idea," he said, fidgeting with his hat. The feathers were getting itchy. He had refused to actually change clothes, having learned his lesson from last time. This time he was opting for an illusory suit, but the hat was annoying enough. 

Alexa smacked his hand. "It's a great idea, as long as you keep your mouth shut," she said. "Just try to look… bored. Like you're too good to be here."

"Should be easy, since I _am _bored and I _am _too good to be here."

Alexa fluffed her own feathered collar and looked at him critically. "Can you look… not like you?" she asked. "The clothes are good but you're a bit too… well… circus-y."

"Rude." Asra sighed and thought for a moment before he changed his own appearance to the haughtiest asshole he could imagine. Alexa burst out laughing.

"No, no, I can't take you seriously," she said, giggling. "I'm not walking into this place next to _him_."

"Tough," Asra said, offering her his arm. "Your rich husband Reh'dad is your punishment for making me do your dumb plan."

"If I recall," Alexa said, linking their arms together. "It was actually _your _idea."

"_My_ idea was to scope the place out. Maybe break in."

"Exactly why my idea is better," she said. She adjusted her expression into something haughty and unaffected.

Asra stifled a sigh, shifting his face into a well-practiced mask of emotionless disinterest. They walked out of the alley, stepping onto a main street in the warm, bright sunlight of late afternoon. The Magical Security Solutions building lay at the end of the street—a several story tall affair built of metal and glass, glimmering and loudly proclaiming the company name with a large, artful sign. Two guards stood on either side of the open doors. They didn't give Asra and Alexa more than a passing glance as they walked into the building.

The foyer was wide and open, with several displays of various security devices on pedestals in glass cases. As they entered, they were greeted by an elven woman. 

“Hello there,” she said. “How can I help you today?”

“My husband and I are looking to protect some of our assets,” Alexa said, affecting her voice with a soft lilting accent. “We were hoping to discuss some options.” 

“Of course,” the woman said. “One of our service representatives will be with you shortly. In the meantime, please enjoy some free coffee.” She gestured at a sort of bar across the lobby, where a barista was serving coffee for the few other patrons, and then headed through an interior door. 

While they waited, Asra got himself a coffee and looked around at the displays. After a few, he found plates similar to the one they’d stolen from the museum. The plaque described them as paired teleportation plates. 

“Those are one of our newer options,” a new voice said and he turned to see a woman, wearing the same general uniform everyone in this building wore. She looked between him and Alexa and smiled. 

“But we have many other options as well and I’m positive we can find something that will suit your needs. If you’ll follow me, we can discuss it further in my office.” 

Asra exchanged a glance with Alexa and they followed the salesperson back through the interior door and down a hall to an office. She gestured for them to take seats on one side of her desk and closed the door after them. As she took her seat, she leaned forward, smiling. 

“So! What can Magical Security Solutions do for you?” she asked. 

Alexa patted Asra’s hand, a motion meant to look endearing but he was fairly sure it was a reminder to hold his tongue. 

“We’ve collected quite a large number of artworks,” she said, still in her stuffy accent. “Every other method of safeguarding them has been… unsatisfactory,” Alexa sighed. “I do hope you’ll be able to help.” 

“I’m positive we can,” she said, and pulled several sheets of paper out of a drawer, flipping them around to display renderings and descriptions of various security devices. 

“Are you wanting to guard your collection against thieves, or natural disasters such as fire?” 

“Both,” Alexa said. 

The woman nodded. “Lethal or nonlethal measures?” she asked. “We have everything ranging from simple alarms to traps that will restrain a thief or… well.” She tilted her head, smiling. 

“Oh, nonlethal,” Alexa said. “Blood is terribly hard to remove from the carpet.” 

“I understand completely,” the woman said, removing a few options. “Now, as far as fire protection, we have a few options. We have bases that will generate shields dependent upon ambient temperature. We have the teleportation plates that you were looking at in the lobby. These are, admittedly, quite expensive, but well worth it if you have a vault or similar place.” 

Alexa made an interested noise. “Tell me about those,” she said. “How do they work?” 

“It’s fairly simple, actually,” she said. “The plates come in pairs that will be magically keyed to your touch. If anyone but you touches what is sitting on the plate, it will be instantly teleported to its sister plate. This can also be triggered remotely, in the event of a disaster. They can be disabled and unlinked by an MSS arcanist and the plates need to be within two-thousand feet of each other to function properly. However, they are our most expensive option. We have several more economic products that will accomplish the same goal.” 

She pulled out a blank sheet of paper and began writing. “I’ll work up a couple of estimates for you. If you’d like, you can see a practical demonstration of some of our other anti-theft devices.” 

“Of course,” Alexa said. “We’d like to keep our options open.” She took the paper as the woman handed it to her and read it over, perfectly monitoring her expression. She folded it up and tucked it into her bag. 

“Naturally,” the woman agreed. She stood up and opened the door. “Right this way.” 

She led them further down the hall and down to a basement floor, into a large, well-lit room. A few other patrons were there as well, and several of the security devices were set up. The saleswoman directed them to stand behind a line and watched as someone, dressed in protective armor, tested the machines. Asra couldn’t imagine he was being paid well enough for this, and wondered if they drew straws. 

It would have been an informative demonstration if they were actually looking for ways to protect a hoard of art. As it was, Asra was simply trying very hard not to laugh and trying to keep his face from showing any hint of amusement as the poor tester was flung across the room by an electrical shock. 

Eventually, they escaped the building, after a horrifying amount of niceties, back out onto the streets of Onesi, and Asra let out a heavy sigh. 

“Well, that was informative,” Alexa said. 

“Was it? Everytime people like that start talking, all I hear is a low buzzing sound.” 

Alexa rolled her eyes. “We know the warehouse or vault or whatever has to be close by. Within two-thousand feet.” 

“Yes, how very close.” Asra shook his head. “The exhibit starts tomorrow, right? There’s probably an arcanist in this town somewhere. We can buy a scroll of Locate Object and get a look at the urn and then track it down that way.” 

“That’s not a bad idea,” Alexa said. “We should figure out where the vault is first, though, so we have some idea where to look.” 

Asra thought for a moment as they walked through town, heading toward the museum. “The imps can turn invisible. Why don’t we have one of them snoop around the museum and see if they can find a vault door. They’ll be less likely to be bumped into than us.” 

“And that is a good idea,” Alexa said. “I knew you had it in you.” 

“Shut up.” 

They made their way into the museum and found it nearly deserted at this time. It was late evening by now, but the museum was still open. It wasn’t difficult to find a deserted hallway on the lower floor for Alexa to summon Nymm. They sent him off, invisible, to see if he could find a vault. 

By the time he found them, they had gone outside as the museum started to close and found a side door that was unguarded, but locked. The imp hopped up onto Alexa’s shoulder, becoming visible again. 

“I followed one of the employees into the basement,” he reported. “And found a huge metal door. It seemed very vault-like.” 

“Perfect!” Alexa said. 

“Let’s find a place to hide until this place is closed and then we can break in,” Asra suggested. 

They loitered in the gardens, finding a place to sit where they could see the front doors of the museum, and waited for about an hour before they saw the last person leave and lock the front doors. They waited a few more minutes to be safe before heading for the side door. 

“You bought lock picks, right?” Asra asked. 

Alexa nodded, fishing the tools out of her pocket and handing them over. He crouched, fiddling with the lock for a few moments before hearing a click. He stood up and cautiously opened the door. No alarm sounded and he couldn’t see anyone in the dark hallway. He nodded to Alexa and she put her hand on his shoulder. They both vanished from sight. 

“All right, Nymm, lead the way,” Alexa whispered. 

Nymm hopped down, staying visible, and started heading down the hall. They came out of the side hall onto the main floor of the museum. There were no guards immediately nearby, but Asra could see lights. Nymm stopped and held out a hand. Presumably, Alexa took it, and the imp turned invisible. Asra had ahold of Alexa’s other hand and they were led through the main floor, trying to step as quietly as possible. 

It was going well until Asra sneezed. 

He muffled it as well as he could and felt Alexa halt. Her fingers dug into his hand and he could imagine the look that was on her face right now. They stood perfectly still as footsteps approached. A light swung out of a nearby door and a guard looked around, frowning. She walked past them, heading toward the lobby, and Asra exhaled. They kept moving and Nymm eventually led them through a door marked for employees only. At this point, he became visible again and scampered down the stairs. 

They passed through an office area with several desks and ended up at a large metal door with no clear way of being opened. On either side were desks inside of little rooms with thick glass windows. The only way into the booths seemed to be doors that led into the area behind the vault door. 

“Hm,” Asra said, letting go of Alexa to walk over to one of the windows. Through the glass he could see a perfectly organized desk with some forms atop it. Next to the big door, there was a button. 

“Should we push it?” he asked, not sure where Alexa had gone. 

“Sure,” she said. 

Before she could change her mind, Asra pressed the button. The vault door didn’t open, but after a few moments, the doors inside both booths opened. Mechanical figures stepped through and took their places at either desk. They were humanoid in shape, built from metal and clockwork. 

“Oh, I know this one,” Asra said quietly. “One tells only the truth and one tells only lies.” 

Alexa shushed him. 

“Please present requisition or archival forms,” the automatons intoned in unity. 

“Archival…?” Alexa murmured. “Ooh! Asra! Back this way.” 

Asra walked back through into the office portion of the basement. 

“I think we can get them to open the vault doors if we pretend we have an artifact,” Alexa said. “Then maybe we can sneak in and grab the urn.” 

“If we can find one of those forms, I’m pretty good at forging things like that,” Asra said. “Look around on these desks and see if you can find an archival form… and maybe something with someone’s signature on it…” 

They searched around for a while until they found some already completed forms. It was enough for Asra to mock up a fake one and sign it with a passable signature of one of the archivists. 

“All right, Nymm,” Alexa said. “Can you stand very still and pretend to be a statue?”

“Uhh…” 

“It’ll be fine,” Alexa said. “If we can’t get into the vault, then you can and you can just teleport out and tell us what you saw.” 

“Or steal the urn for us,” Asra added. 

“Okay,” the imp said, clearly nervous. 

They went back into the room with the automatons, who repeated their request for forms. Asra walked over to the desk that said donations and slid the form through the gap in the window. The automaton took it and its face shifted, moving to reveal a light that grazed over the paper a few times. Asra held his breath, certain an alarm was about to sound. To his surprise, the machine seemed to accept it and stood. It went back through the inner door and a moment later the big door opened. 

It didn’t lead into the vault, but into another chamber with another large door. The automaton waited inside with a small cart. 

“Please present the artifact for storage,” it requested. 

Alexa picked up Nymm, who did his best statuette impression as he was placed into the cart. 

“Please clear the room,” the machine said. 

Asra waited, wondering if it knew they were there or if it was just running through an automatic dialogue. After a few moments, without the machine moving, it spoke again. 

“Please clear the room.” 

He sighed and stepped back out into the lobby area. Alexa, presumably, followed suit, and the door slowly closed. 

“Well… let’s hope Nymm can find something,” Alexa said. 

“Yeah. Let’s get out of here,” Asra said. “I don’t think we’re going to learn anything else and your spell will be wearing off soon.” 

They snuck back out through the museum and out the side door, without encountering any guards, and Alexa dropped the invisibility spell. It was well into the night, at this point, and the streets were only dimly lit by magical lights. They were deserted, apart from a distant guard on patrol. 

“So, we know there’s a vault,” Alexa said. “How do we get in?” 

Asra shrugged. “City this big… there’s probably a pretty extensive sewer network.” 

“If we could get a map and get to the vault that way, we could blow our way in with dynamite or something,” Alexa said, suddenly concerningly excited. She frowned, a finger to her lips. “Where would we get that, though?” 

“A map, or dynamite?” 

“Both.” 

Asra looked around, thoughtful. A city this big, he thought, there was almost certainly some sort of dark market. He started to whistle, as they walked, hoping the tune hadn’t changed in the time he’d been dead. After a few blocks, he heard the answering tune and ducked down an alley. Alexa followed, with a surprised and questioning noise. 

Around the back of a building, they found a dwarven man leaning against the wall. He stopped whistling and looked curiously at them as they approached. 

“You’re a tall one,” he remarked. 

“I bet you say that to all the girls,” Asra replied. 

He snorted and shook his head. “You new in town? Haven’t seen you around before.” 

“Mm, we’ve only been here a few days.” 

“Been a while since I’ve been out on the trail,” the dwarf said. “How’s the road to Aynor?” 

“Muddy, this time of year,” Asra said, anticipating the question. 

The dwarf nodded and knocked on the wall behind him. After a moment, a piece of it slid out of the way, revealing a hidden staircase, leading down. Asra put a hand to his chest in a gracious bow and headed down, beckoning to Alexa. 

“What was all that about?” she asked as the wall slid shut behind them.

“Trust exercises,” Asra said. “Dark markets have to have security measures to keep out guards. The song lets you find someone who can let you in and they usually ask a question about a nonexistent place, like Aynor. If you say something like “I don’t know where that is” then they know you’re not to be trusted.” 

She made a noise of interest. “I’ve never been to a dark market.” 

Asra opened the door at the bottom of the stairs and they passed through a wall of magic, suddenly hit with the sound of the underground market that sprawled in front of them. 

“And now you have,” he said, gesturing inside. Alexa looked around, curious. 

“Where would we find a map?” Alexa asked. 

“Hm…” Asra hummed and then stepped up, clearing his throat. “Excuse me!” he called. “Does anyone want in on a heist?” It wasn’t the most subtle approach, but he wasn’t good at subtle. He was good at getting people’s attention. 

A few people looked over, confused, and a child approached him. 

“You sound like a narc,” he said, matter-of-factly. 

“Mind your own business,” Asra replied, and then he blinked. “Oh, I do still look like a narc, don’t I?” He pulled his hat off and tucked it into his coat, dropping the disguise he had adopted earlier in the day. 

The urchin hummed. “Better,” he said. “But you’re still not going to get anyone’s interest just shouting it out loud like that.” 

“Like I said, mind your business,” Asra said, heading further into the market. Alexa trotted after him. 

“Let’s split up,” she suggested. 

“Sure. Just be careful,” Asra said, and she trotted off toward the other side of the underground street. Asra walked along, looking at the goods on offer. 

No one was selling maps, as far as Asra saw, and he ended up at a booth selling magical items. The man running the booth smiled at him. 

“Looking for anything in particular?” he asked. 

“Sending stones,” Asra said. “Not that I have much hope…” 

“In that case, perhaps it’s your lucky night,” the merchant said. He pulled a box out from behind the stall and opened it. Inside were matching pendants of smooth, polished stone, engraved with matching sigils. 

“How much?” Asra asked. 

“Five-hundred gold,” the man replied. “No less. These are quite rare.” 

Asra exhaled slowly. He had left most of his money with Nakak, but he knew it only amounted to about two hundred gold. 

“How about two-hundred?” he offered. 

The merchant laughed. “You’re funny. Five-hundred.” 

Asra frowned. “Maybe I can do something for you,” he said. “Let’s make a deal.” 

“Isn’t that what we’re doing? You give me money, I give you goods.” 

“That’s not what I mean,” Asra said, leaning forward. As he did, he changed his appearance, growing horns and sharp teeth and blackening his eyes. The merchant shifted back, startled. 

“I’m sure you need something that isn’t money,” Asra said softly. “I can get you almost anything and all I’m asking for is these stones. Not even your soul.” 

At the word ‘soul’, the man tensed, seeming to realize what was standing on the other side of his stall. He swallowed, thinking. Asra drummed clawed fingers on the wood, waiting.

“Anything?” he asked, after a moment. 

“Almost anything,” Asra said. “Within reason, of course. Even devils have limitations.” 

The man sighed. “My wife… she’s sick. Viper rot. If… if you can get me a cure…” 

Asra snapped his fingers. “Nakak?” 

The imp appeared on his shoulders. “What’s up?” they asked. 

“Can you find me a cure for… what was it? Viper rot?” 

“I’ll see what I can do,” they said and vanished again. 

As they waited, Asra shifted his appearance back to normal. He leaned on the stall, watching the meager crowd that was passing through the underground market. He didn’t think he had ever been to such a literal dark market. Usually, it was more of a network of people with loose morals and illegal goods. 

Nakak reappeared after several minutes. “So… good news and bad news,” they said. “I found one, but it’s two-hundred gold.” 

“Perfect,” Asra said. “I left my gold with you, so go ahead and use it.” 

“Right. Be right back,” they said, vanishing. A minute later, they reappeared with a small bottle and the rest of Asra’s gold. He gave them a ring as payment and sent them on their way, and then looked at the merchant and held up the bottle. 

“Do we have a deal? This in exchange for the stones?” 

“Yes,” the man said, handing the box over and eagerly grabbing the offered bottle. 

“Wonderful doing business with you,” Asra said. He turned away, tucking the small box into his coat and looking around for Alexa. 

When he found her, she was leaving a tavern looking far too excited. She had, evidently, succeeded in getting a map of the sewer system with an overlay of secret passages and side tunnels. The person who had sold it to her had also given her the name of someone they might buy dynamite from. All in all, it was a fruitful evening. 

As they were walking back toward the inn, Nymm reappeared and described the inside of the vault. It was enormous and he had apparently been attacked by small, spider-like automatons, but he had enough information to give them a vague idea of what to expect once they got inside. Asra still wasn’t sure this was the best, or even a good, plan, but it was at least a plan. 

He let Alexa go back to the inn while he hurried out of the city and to the clearing where the troupe was camped. Normally, they might have moved on by now, having already done a show, but Kealii had convinced Desiree to stay as long as Asra was in town. 

Everyone was asleep by now, apart from Lellada who was keeping watch. He ducked into his tent, pausing to take off his boots and coat before flopping into bed next to Kealii and shaking his shoulder. 

Kealii woke up, shifting over and snuggling up against him. 

“Why are you so excited?” he asked sleepily. 

“I got you something!” Asra said, beaming. He held up one of the sending stones. 

Kealii looked at it for a moment before rubbing at his eyes. “A… rock…?” he asked, kindly. 

“It’s a sending stone,” Asra said, showing him the matching pendant he had already put around his own neck. “So we can keep in touch, even when I’m on another plane.” 

Kealii’s eyes widened, slightly, and he smiled, sitting up and pulling the necklace over his head. He laid back down, pulling Asra into a happy kiss. Asra wrapped Kealii up in his arms, eliciting a quiet laugh as he curled around him.


	21. Onesi: The Dreaded Drekker'Vas

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> did drekker die of scurvy? is alexa turning into a demon? stay tuned to find out

“I can’t believe I didn’t think of this sooner.” 

Alexa smiled, as they walked up the flawlessly manicured path toward the largest mansion Asra had ever seen in his life. 

“I am excited to see how this goes,” she admitted. “I think it’s your first intelligent plan.” 

“Oh, says the woman who wanted to buy some dynamite and blow a hole into the museum,” Asra retorted, adjusting his suit jacket. 

“That’s still Plan B,” Alexa said. “That drow that sold me the sewer map told me about a guy we can get some from.” 

“Well, hopefully we won’t need to,” Asra said. “If this goes well, we’ll just buy the ashes and then kick it until we have to go back to Drekker.” 

They stepped up to the door of the Mordeaux manor and Asra rapped his knuckles on the wood. After a long moment of silence, the door opened. An elderly, well-dressed man stood in the threshold and looked them over for a moment. 

“May I help you?” he asked. 

“Yes, is the lady of the house in?” Asra asked. “We have a business proposition for her.” 

He seemed to stifle a sigh and beckoned them into the foyer. “I will see if she is available,” he said and headed through into another room, closing the door behind him. After what seemed a deliberately long wait, the door opened again and the butler returned. 

“Follow me,” he said, and led them through the door and into a parlour. The only other person in the room was an even older woman sitting in a chair with a blanket over her legs. 

“Your guests, madame,” the butler said. 

“Of course, come in and sit down. Bring us some tea, would you?” she asked.

The butler inclined his head and left the room. Asra and Alexa walked over to the sofa and sat down across the coffee table from the old woman, who leaned forward slightly, looking curiously at them. 

“Now, what was it you wanted to discuss with me?” she asked. 

Asra hesitated for a moment, gathering his words. “We’re here on behalf of a… collector, of sorts, who heard of your upcoming exhibition and is very interested in procuring one of the artifacts from the collection.” 

“Pallon’s ashes, specifically,” Alexa added. 

“Oh… hmmm…” Zolah hummed, quiet and thoughtful for a moment. “Well… the urn isn’t the centerpiece of the exhibit… I suppose I could be persuaded to part with it for... thirty-thousand gold?” 

It was only years of stage training under Desiree that stopped Asra from blanching. He managed to keep his expression in check and looked down, as if he was considering the offer, despite the screaming that was going on inside his head. 

“Well, we will certainly need to discuss this with our client,” Alexa said, saving Asra from the silence. 

“Of course,” Zolah said, smiling. As they stood up, she shifted a hand under her blanket, as if she was retrieving something from a pocket. “Before you go…” 

Asra tensed, expecting her to produce a flask of holy water. Instead, she opened her hand to reveal two wrapped pieces of candy. 

“Would you like a piece of caramel?” she offered. 

“Don’t mind if I do,” Asra said, taking one. He unwrapped it and popped it into his mouth as he and Alexa left the manor. 

They walked down the path away from the house, through the beautifully tended garden, and back through the city toward their hotel. Asra hummed as they walked, giving himself a noise to make so he didn’t start shouting about the number he’d just heard. Alexa seemed unfairly calm about the entire scenario. 

Once they were safely inside and behind a close door, he turned to her. 

“Thirty-thousand gold?” Asra hissed. “Thirty-thousand?? Why is that even a number! There’s never been thirty-thousand of anything! What do people even do with all that money! Who has that much money??” 

Alexa laughed. “What did you expect?” 

“A real number!” he snapped and then exhaled, trying to calm down. “You were rich, right? Do you have that much gold? Or any friends who owe you one?” 

Alexa sat down on her bed, tapping her lips thoughtfully with a finger. She tensed, eyes widening slightly. “Umm… I might… know someone who could help,” she sighed, looking troubled. She stood up again. “It might take her a while to—if she even—I’m going to go find a post office,” she said abruptly and left the room. 

Asra blinked, taken aback. He turned and walked over to his bed, laying down and staring at the ceiling, trying to come up with some way to get thirty-thousand gold. It seemed hopeless, unless Alexa’s friend came through. Even so, he could hardly imagine anyone getting a letter from a dead woman and saying “Oh sure I’ll give you a ludicrous sum of money, no questions asked.”

And then something occurred to him and he sat up. 

“Nakak?” 

The imp appeared next to him. “Yeah?” 

“Can you… tell Drekker I need to talk to him?” 

Their eyes widened slightly and they looked nervous, but nodded. “Yeah… sure.” 

They vanished again and a moment later the door opened and Alexa came back in. 

“That was quick,” Asra commented. 

“Turns out you can send letters from the front desk,” she said. “It’ll probably take a few days to reach… its destination, though, so if you want to just go with Plan B…” 

“I actually came up with another Plan B,” Asra said. “And it’s Plan A.” 

Alexa opened her mouth and Nakak reappeared, looking a bit harried. 

“He, um… he said he’s on his way,” they said. 

“You’re the best,” Asra said, fishing a bracelet of crystal beads out of his pocket and handing it over, watching Nakak’s worried expression turn into delight before they vanished again. 

“He…?” Alexa asked, curiously. 

“Drekker,” Asra said. 

“You… called Drekker?” 

“Don’t look at me like that, it’s a great idea, listen,” Asra said, already second-guessing himself. “Your friend probably isn’t going to toss us thirty-thousand gold and if we blow up the museum, there’s a chance we won’t even get the thing, and if we do we’ll still make a huge mess in the process. Seems to me like Drekker might want it done quietly, right? So maybe he’ll just… give us the money?” 

“Oh, no, it’s almost a good idea,” Alexa said. “I just can’t believe you willingly wanted to talk to Drekker.” 

“Oh, I super don’t,” Asra said. “But our go-between beefed it so…” He shrugged and flopped backward onto the bed again. 

“Fair enough,” Alexa said, sitting down on her bed. 

Asra grabbed the stone pendant around his neck and rolled it between his fingers, channeling the magic in the carvings. 

“Hey, don’t come into town until I tell you, okay?” he murmured. 

After a moment, he heard a responding voice in his thoughts. 

_Why…?_

“Drekker’s coming. Just… better safe than sorry, yeah?” 

_Oh, yeah, good idea. Are you going to be safe? _

“I’m just asking for a loan, I’m sure he won’t be that upset about it.” 

_Sure… just… don’t do anything stupid, okay? _

“When have I ever done anything stupid?” 

_Asra…_

“Fine. Tell you what, we’ll go out for dinner tonight. There, now we have plans, so I can’t go dying until dessert.” 

* * *

A few hours passed before there came a knock at the door. During those hours, little was said. Alexa seemed deep in her own thoughts and Asra was slowly realizing that he’d actually brought Drekker _here_. He had, for some unfathomable reason, summoned an incredibly dangerous person that both owned and hated him into the same city as the people he would do anything to protect. He _really _needed to start thinking things through before he acted. 

But there was no time to go back on it before that knock sounded at the door. 

Asra sat up, tense, and Alexa walked over and opened the door. Drekker stepped inside, looking around with some disinterest. He was alone, and it occurred to Asra that this was the first time he had seen Drekker without Viri nearby. 

“Well?” Drekker asked, looking at Asra. 

“Right,” Asra said, trying to remember his sales pitch. “So, we’ve hit a bit of a crossroads and one way will let us finish this job really quickly and quietly, and the other one will involve dynamite, but the quiet one requires thirty-thousand gold, which I obviously don’t have, but I thought perhaps you might, I know devils can’t just magic up money, apparently, but maybe… uh… I thought… I would give you the option… since it would be less… messy…” Asra faltered slightly. Drekker’s gaze hadn’t shifted as he rambled, his expression remaining infuriatingly unreadable. 

Drekker inhaled and lifted a hand, snapping his fingers. Asra flinched, but the action wasn’t directed at him. An imp appeared on the table next to Drekker and looked up at him. 

“Bring me the ledger,” Drekker said. The imp vanished and reappeared a moment later holding a large, leather-bound tome which Drekker took. He opened it, leaning against the table, and began to silently and methodically flip through the pages. 

He said nothing and the silence began to grate on Asra. He fidgeted and started chattering, just anxious half-sentences trying to justify his request for such a ludicrous amount of money. 

Drekker snapped the book shut and returned it to his imp, who vanished. Asra fell silent immediately. 

“I can give you ten-thousand,” Drekker said. 

Asra swallowed, equally hesitant to tell him that wasn’t good enough as he was to take the offer. 

“I don’t… think… we can talk her down that far,” he said quietly. “Plan… B, I guess.” 

“Is that all?” 

“Yes. Yes, absolutely. Sorry to waste your time.” 

Drekker looked at him for a moment, impassive. “Don’t contact me again unless it’s an emergency,” he said shortly. 

“Right…” Asra said, as Drekker left the room. As soon as the door shut, he fell back onto the bed, sighing. “Gods, I hate that guy.” 

“Look on the bright side,” Alexa said, “now we get to blow up a museum.” 

Asra laughed. “Okay, fair enough.” He looked over toward the balcony, judging the time by the color of the sky. It was heading toward evening. 

“You wanna go out for dinner later?” Asra offered. “Kealii and I found a seafood place that looked pretty good.” 

He had been planning on just having a nice evening with Kealii, but there was something anxious and sad about Alexa’s expression that she was trying to hide, and he didn’t think it would do her any favors to be alone in the room tonight. 

“Sure,” she said. 

“We’ll give it an hour or so. I can’t imagine Drekker’s going to hang around…” 

* * *

“So, if you don’t need to eat anymore, do you still have like… organs?” 

Asra watched Kealii as he put a thoughtful bite into his mouth. It was good to see him relaxed and in a good mood, after Asra had assured him that Drekker hadn’t been too upset. The past few days, he had been more anxious and worried than Asra had ever seen him. Now, he was almost back to his normal, laid back, self. Around them, the restaurant was lively. A warm atmosphere, full of talking and laughing, with a group of musicians near the fireplace playing a fast tempo sea shanty. It was a relief from the elite company they had been dealing with thus far in Onesi.

Kealii swallowed and looked at Asra with a curious smile. 

“I mean, you have a heartbeat, at least, but what would be the point, right?” 

“You know…” Asra mused. “I really haven’t had time to cut myself open and look.” 

Kealii laughed lightly. “Maybe I’m not that curious.” He took another bite and closed his eyes briefly, smiling. “It’s been way too long since I’ve had good seafood…” 

“You should just go visit your parents,” Asra said. “I don’t know if this compares to your mother’s cooking.” 

“Definitely not,” Kealii agreed. 

Asra took a sip of wine, looking at Alexa, realizing she hadn’t said anything for a while. She had an odd look on her face and she was staring across the restaurant. Asra followed her gaze and nearly choked when he saw Drekker, just as he was standing up and walking out. The devil gave no indication he had seen them, but that did nothing to ease the sudden cold weight in Asra’s stomach. Had he followed them? Had he seen Kealii?

Alexa looked at Asra, looking far too delighted for the situation at hand. “I need to learn that song,” she said. 

“What song?” 

“Weren’t you listening?” 

“No.” 

She beamed, drumming her fingers eagerly on the table. “I think Drekker was a pirate,” she said, and then stood up, flouncing away toward where the band stood, having just wrapped up their set for the evening, and began talking animatedly to the performers. 

Asra stared after her for a moment and then exhaled. “I don’t understand half the things she says these days.” 

After a while, Alexa returned to the table, with a date to meet the band in the morning and learn whatever shanty they had been performing about ‘the Dreaded Drekker’Vas’. It was either going to be amusing blackmail, or a way to get them killed, and Asra wasn’t sure which yet. 

“Oh, hey!” Alexa said suddenly. “The exhibit opens tonight. Should we go?” 

“Might be worth it,” Asra said. “We can get a good look at the urn, so we know exactly what we’re after.” He looked at Kealii. “Want to go to the museum?” 

“Of course,” he replied, with that smile that chased all of Asra’s worries away. 

After they finished eating, they made their way across town, through the darkened streets, to the museum. Despite the late hour, it was crowded with patrons, all eager to see the treasures of Melladran the Magnificent. The exhibit room had been opened and the artifacts were out, all proudly displayed on their pedestals. The wand was the central feature, along with a few other personal effects of the deceased wizard, but the ashes were off to the side with other things that had been found in the tomb. It was an unassuming urn, and Asra wondered why there was such a fuss being made about it. 

Alexa looked closely at it, as if she was memorizing every detail, and then nodded to herself. 

By the time they left, it was nearing midnight. Rather than walk all the way back out of town, Asra took Kealii back to their room at the inn with Alexa. They stayed up for a while, discussing plans for breaking into the vault, looking over Alexa’s map of the sewer, while Kealii braided Alexa’s hair in a style he had learned from some merfolk. 

Alexa fell asleep quickly after they gave up trying to plan. Asra snuggled up with Kealii in the other bed, pulling him into his arms. In the warmth, he fell asleep in a few minutes. 

It wasn’t clear what woke him, hours later. It was still dark outside, creeping toward dawn. Asra rolled over. Kealii shifted, still asleep, instinctively curling up behind him with an arm over his ribs. Across the room, in the monotone shades of darkness, he could see Alexa, sleeping somewhat fitfully. He assumed she had made some sort of noise that had woken him, and decided to ignore her and go back to sleep, when something strange happened. 

Alexa moved, but… she didn’t. 

Asra blinked, frowning, and watched her closely. Again, she moved without moving. He was certain she hadn’t been laying like that a moment ago, but she hadn’t moved an inch. There was something chillingly familiar about it, as Asra was reminded of the crystalline demons they had encountered in Stygia. 

Asra shifted out of Kealii’s arms and stood up, walking over to Alexa’s bed and shaking her shoulder. 

She woke with a strangled gasp and lashed out at him, kicking him in the stomach with a flailing foot, before she fell off the other side of the bed. Asra stumbled back, cursing quietly. He walked around the bed and looked down at her. 

Alexa looked up at him, seeming confused, and made a questioning, but entirely incoherent, sound. 

Asra frowned, using annoyance to mask his concern. “You’re breaking reality when you sleep and it’s freaking me out. _Stop it._” 

He walked back over to his own bed, crawling back under the blankets. Kealii had woken up with all the disturbance and looked at him sleepily. 

“What’s going on?” he mumbled, as he snuggled back up against Asra.

Asra sighed, pushing his face into Kealii’s hair. He smelled like flowers, and it did a little to ease Asra’s anxiety about what was happening to Alexa. 

“Stygia coming back to haunt me,” he murmured. 

Kealii didn’t reply, just tightening his arms around him. He fell back asleep quickly, while Asra carded his fingers through his hair. Asra tried and failed to go back to sleep, and watched the sky slowly lighten through the windows, mind occupied with memories of snow and crystals.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> our sending stones work more like walkie-talkies cause our DM is cool


	22. Alexa: Multi-Planar Transferability

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which alexa has a no good, exceptionally bad dream

Had it been a minute? An hour? A century?

Alexa had no idea how long she’d been sitting in this chair, listening to this druid, but she’d long since stopped understanding what he was talking about. It wasn’t that she didn’t care, it was just that she’d heard the words “multi-planar transferability” and instantly gotten a headache. Trying to pay attention after that had been a lost cause.

Meredosia seemed to be keeping up, though - nodding along and offering agreements or different ideas. Occasionally she’d look over at Alexa expecting a response, causing her to mentally scramble for a moment to try and remember what they’d said and guess at what the appropriate response would be.

Most often she settled for a small smile and a quiet “mhm.”

Not sure if the druid would be offended by her yawn, she tried her best to hide it with her hand. The sheepish look she got in return let her know she failed and she mumbled a quick apology.

Meredosia had gone above and beyond what Alexa had been expecting when she’d asked if they could try to find an expert in realities or curses. All manner of caster had come through the castle recently - wizards, clerics, druids, anyone who might have an idea of what was happening to Alexa. 

At first, Alexa had been with Meredosia for every meeting. It made it easier to explain what was going on and if they had questions or wanted to try something, she was right there ready to go. It was after one particularly eccentric sorcerer had suggested bleeding her to drain out the devils that Meredosia had started screening them alone.

Over the past week or so, Alexa had had more spells cast on her than over the rest of her life put together. Curse removals, healing spells, calls for divine intervention, half a dozen things she didn’t recognize - all fruitless. This druid was certainly enthusiastic about what he knew, but Alexa expected this meeting to leave them with no answers once again.

The headache spiked behind her eyes and she hissed at the sudden pain, squeezing her eyes shut as she waited for it to fade back down. Unfortunately for her, the pressure and pain insisted on building. At least if she asked to be excused she wouldn’t have to pretend to pay attention.

She opened her eyes and never got the chance to speak.

A wave of dizziness hit and the entire world tilted sharply to the left. She drew in a panicked breath and thought she might’ve heard Meredosia say something; thought she might have seen the druid move. Desperately she tried to reach for something to grab onto, but her body wouldn’t cooperate - it was stiff, in pain, and she couldn’t do anything to stop it.

Meredosia’s face was suddenly very close and Alexa tried to say something - anything - but only managed a strangled sort of keening. A spasm wracked her body and her jaw snapped shut of its own volition. New pain shot through the rest and Alexa tasted blood before the world went black.

Panic threw her out of the dark and back into consciousness.

Something was touching her, something was  _ grabbing  _ her, and she had to get away. She couldn’t see what it was, but she kicked her legs against it and scrambled backwards away from the touch. In an instant the floor was gone and she fell backwards with a shout, crashing down onto something much harder a moment later. Someone else swore in surprise and she thought she heard the shuffling of footsteps.

Alexa blinked and felt her brain catching up to what was happening.

Nothing had grabbed her, she’d been tangled in blankets. The floor hadn’t disappeared, she’d fallen off a bed. But which blankets? Which bed? She let out a shaky breath and glanced up to see Asra looking… cranky, maybe? Spooked? Alexa tried to ask what was wrong or what had happened, but what came out was more of an incoherent slurry of consonants with a question mark on the end.

Close enough.

Asra’s face scrunched up into a scowl and he pointed an accusatory finger at her. “You’re breaking reality when you sleep and it’s freaking me out.  _ Stop it. _ ”

With that, he stalked back off across the room toward his own bed.

Alexa groaned and let her body flop over into a slightly more comfortable position on the floor, still tangled up in a mess of blankets. The stuffed elephant Asra had gotten her had also come tumbling off the bed and she pulled it over to use as a makeshift pillow, burying her face in its side and praying to anyone that might listen to a devil, asking, begging for a normal night’s sleep.


	23. Onesi: An Emergency

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> asra gets a honedge

“Do you have everything?” 

Beyond the rustle of Alexa’s backpack as she checked her supplies, making sure she had all of the spell scrolls they needed, the only sounds that surrounded the two devils were the echoing drips of water down the sewer tunnels. Asra thought he could almost hear the occasional, distant grumble of the creatures they had passed by earlier. They had been animalistic things, squatting in huts made of refuse in these abandoned tunnels, proving only a slight obstacle until they killed the biggest one and scared the others off. 

“Ready,” Alexa said, nodding. She had one scroll in her hand, ready to go. 

“Cast it.” 

Asra followed the fuse while Alexa read off the spell. A bubble of silence flared up around her and she darted to his side at the end of the fuse, behind a small wall of debris. Asra lit it and they watched as the flame snaked toward the barrels of explosive that had been placed by the wall. Alexa’s “contact”, as they were, had been a dwarf from whom she’d bought the dynamite and paid extra to have it placed where she wanted it. Asra could only hope it worked. 

There was no sound when it exploded, but they still felt the shockwave and ducked behind the wall as debris flew out, clattering into the stonework tunnel. When the dust cleared, there was a massive hole in the wall, opening the way into the vault. 

Asra and Alexa hopped up, running back into the silence to clamber over the fallen stones. The room they looked into was cavernous, filled with towering aisles of shelves, packed with artifacts. Asra was glad for the other scroll Alexa had in her bag, otherwise they would never be able to find the ashes. 

No alarms blared after the explosion, and no guards came running. At least no mortal guards. 

As the two devils stepped into the vault, Asra heard a clanking and heavy, metallic footsteps. One of the automatons they had seen before approached. It cocked its head slightly and its arm shifted, changing shape. Asra narrowed his eyes, trying to think. He drew his sword and reached into his pocket, pulling a card. The Hermit. 

The familiar magic rushed through him and he could hear the Hermit’s voice in his ear, guiding his words. He couldn’t help but grin as he loosed the spell, relieved to have his real cards back within his grasp. 

The dispelling blast hit the automaton and it stuttered. The lights in it flickered for a moment and Asra exhaled. Would it be that easy? 

And then it regained itself and lashed out an arm. Something shot out of it. Asra leapt out of the way, a little too late, and he was tripped by a net that tangled around him. He slammed into the floor with a pained grunt, struggling as Alexa darted away, drawing the machine’s attention. It tried the same trick with her and missed. She fired off a spell at it, knocking off some plating. 

Asra struggled, glad he hadn’t dropped his sword. He sawed away at the net, eventually pulling it off and getting back to his feet. The automaton had swapped weapons and had a blade now. Alexa was keeping her distance and had switched to her crossbow rather than waste her magic. 

Asra ran up behind it and slammed his sword into the machine, wedging the blade between plating, and forcing it up into the light center. The automaton spasmed and powered down. Asra pulled his sword out and frowned at the blade. The metal of the machine had left a few nicks in it. He exhaled. Now that he had more money, perhaps he should buy a new one. This one had equal parts sentimentality and bad memories attached to it. 

That was something to think about later, however. Presently, he became aware of skittering. A lot of skittering. He gestured to Alexa and they ran over to one of the shelves, climbing up off the ground as a swarm of spider-like machines crawled past. They didn’t seem to notice the two devils as they skittered over to the ruined wall and started trying to clear the area. 

Cautiously, Asra and Alexa got down from the shelf. Alexa pulled her scroll from her bag and cast the second spell. Her eyes glowed briefly. 

She gestured and they snuck out of the large room, through an unlocked door and into a long hallway. It was lined with similar doors and, once again, Asra was grateful Alexa had thought to get a spell to locate the ashes. She led him down the hall and through one of the doors. 

It opened into a strange room with a spiderweb of pathways laid into a floor of contrasting color. The pathways all led from doors around the circular room to a center dais. 

“How the fuck big is this place?” Asra muttered. “Which door do we need?” 

“That one,” Alexa said, pointing across the room at one of the doors. “We’re close.” 

“I mean, this is obviously a trap,” Asra said, gesturing at the room. At this rate, he was going to develop a phobia of circular rooms. 

“Seems clear, right?” Alexa said. “It wants us to walk on the pathways, so we have to walk on the other floor.” 

“Yeah, you go ahead and try that. I’ll just wait here.” 

Alexa shot him a look and then cautiously stepped onto the darker floor. Her foot almost seemed to sink into it. Almost immediately, the floor in the middle of the room began to shift and a pillar rose from it. Asra yanked Alexa back onto the pathway. The pillar began to spin, slowly, and panels shifted, revealing some sort of crystal, refracting a burning light that shot out, lancing into the walls around them at varying heights. 

Asra ducked under one of the beams as it sizzled overhead and flashed a glare at Alexa. She gave a sheepish grin in response. Asra took a breath and focused. 

They danced their way across the room, ducking and jumping, dodging and twisting, reaching the door with only a few light singes on their clothes. Asra wrenched the door open and they ran inside, slamming it closed against the beams of light still burning their way around the room. 

Asra exhaled, relaxing and looking around in interest. The room was fairly small and had no other doors. The shelves inside housed the artifacts from Melladran’s tomb and Alexa pointed out the ashes. 

“Perfect. Wanna steal anything else while we’re here?” Asra said, heading across the room to pick up the urn. He passed by a case in the middle that held the wand and looked at it interestedly, wondering how much he could get for it. 

Before Asra could grab the urn, Alexa touched a robe and it moved. She yelped and hopped back, watching as the robe and hat hovered over the case, the wand lifting up, as if held by the shadowy figure that filled the robes. 

“I knew this moment was… inevitable,” the apparition hissed. “That this would someday come to pass.” 

“The fuck are you talking about?” Asra asked, wondering if the wizard could actually see them, or if this was just some sort of spell set to go off the moment someone touched something. “You _foresaw_ devils coming to steal some dipshit’s ashes?” 

“I foresaw you coming to collect,” Melladran replied, evidently not just a security measure. “I have profited from this deal, but I’ve decided I would rather spend an eternity in nothingness than pay up. I’m afraid I’ll have to kill you. Good day.” 

He raised the wand and swirled it around above his head. Water started to rain down from the ceiling, pooling on the floor and beginning to fill the room at an alarming rate. As it flooded, the water near Asra bubbled, a figure rising slowly out of it, forming into a humanoid shape. 

Asra splashed backwards as Alexa shouted a spell at the apparition, drawing Melladran’s attention. Asra reached into his coat, aiming for his cards and instead finding something else. A small pouch of dust he had picked up somewhere and promptly forgotten about. He grinned, with a surge of deus ex machina excitement, and flung a handful of the dust at the elemental. 

With a rush, a good deal of water vanished, devoured into a marble that dropped onto the floor. The elemental still stood, but it was significantly smaller. 

Asra swept his sword through it, which was enough to dispel the magic holding the elemental together, and it sloshed back down into the rising tide that was now at Asra’s thighs. 

He looked up at the wizard’s apparition as it launched spells at Alexa, wondering how to get the wand away from it. He sheathed his sword and turned, clambering up onto a shelf. He braced himself. 

“Hey, fuckface!” he shouted, getting Melladran’s attention. The apparition turned toward him and Asra jumped, grabbing ahold of the wand as the wizard raised it. Melladran didn’t let go of it, and instead pulled his hands apart. The wand shifted and morphed into twin short swords of a smooth, silver metal. Asra kept ahold of both halves and kicked his feet up, hoping the ghost was corporeal. He slammed his feet into Melladran’s sternum, throwing himself backward and taking the swords with him. 

Asra crashed down through the top of the glass case. He scrambled to his feet, looking at the swords in confusion. It was better than a wand, but he didn’t really know how to handle short swords. Before he could decide to make do, the two halves snapped together and the shape shifted into that of an elegant longsword. 

“Whoa,” Asra said, looking up as the apparition approached. He swung the sword and slashed through the ghost, throwing it off balance enough for Alexa to hit it with a spell. The apparition evaporated, robe and hat dropping down into the water. It ceased raining and the water began to drain from the room. 

Asra looked at the sword curiously. “Can you… be anything else?” he asked. The sword, perhaps predictably, did not reply. He looked down at his sheath, which held his old sword, and frowned. He didn’t want to just leave it here. If he could figure out how to turn the new one back into a wand, or a spoon, or something else small enough to fit in a pocket— 

As he thought it, the sword morphed again, into a silver spoon. 

“Huh.” Asra shrugged and pocketed it, clambering carefully out of the glass case. He retrieved his marble from the floor and picked up the urn. 

When he turned around, he found Alexa stuffing the robes and hat into her backpack. She shrugged when she saw him watching. 

“I bet they’re magic,” she said. 

“Or cursed,” Asra replied. 

“Semantics.” 

Asra gave her the urn to secure in her bag and walked over to the door. He opened it and quickly slammed it closed again, ducking out of the way as one of the light beams lanced through the opening. 

“Shit. Forgot about that.” 

Alexa came up behind him, ready to run, and he opened the door again. They darted out, trying to dance around the beams again. Asra made it to the middle and took one of the lights to the side before he could duck. He hissed in pain and pulled the spoon out of his pocket. At a thought, it morphed back into a longsword, which he rammed into the pillar. The crystal cracked and one of the beams died. The others flickered and the rotating slowed enough for them to hurry from the room. 

As they ran back down the hallway toward the sorting room, doors began to slam open around them. Artifacts hovered, possessed by some malevolent will, chasing them down the hall. Alexa fired off a few spells, hardly making a dent in the army of dresses and urns and tapestries and weapons that swarmed after them, taking swipes and trying to trip them up. 

Asra briefly weighed the pros and cons of simply letting himself be killed and going back to Avernus, before he remembered his cards would be lost again. For good this time. He huffed and ran faster, fishing his sending stone out of his shirt. 

“I might be about to die,” he said, in a breathless Celestial, deciding it would be a good habit to get into to hide Kealii from eavesdroppers. “I wanted to give you a heads-up in case you don’t hear from me for a bit.” 

_Please don’t_, came the reply. 

Asra tucked the stone away as they scrambled back out through the hole into the sewers. As they ran, Alexa aimed a thunderwave behind them, collapsing the wall and a good deal of the sewer, blocking the tunnel. 

Even so, they didn’t slow down until they were back through the false wall into the main sewer. Alexa stopped to catch her breath and Asra looked back through the small pathway they had knocked down on their first pass through here, listening. He couldn’t hear or see anything following them, but he wasn’t exactly at ease. How had the wizard’s magic chased them even after they’d defeated him? Was it following the things they’d stolen? 

They made their way back up onto the streets, hurrying straight to Pherwa’s house, keeping an eye out behind them for malevolent dresses, and disguising themselves to appear uninjured. Asra didn’t think the guards would be keen on letting two bleeding and bruised people anywhere near the manor.

Pherwa was pleased with the ashes and didn’t want anything more to do with the devils that procured them. Asra was perfectly happy to leave her be, still thinking that cracked old urn wasn’t worth her soul. But it wasn’t his business and he was tired and eager to get back to Kealii. 

He went back to the inn with Alexa first, wanting to drop off his things and get his cursed spoon somewhere safe where it couldn’t summon haunted statues. 

As soon as Asra opened the door to their room, something slammed into him. He grunted, falling back a step in alarm before he realized it was Kealii, with his arms wrapped tightly around Asra’s middle. Asra returned the hug tightly. 

“It’s okay, I’m okay,” he murmured. 

Alexa shoved them both out of the way, shutting the door and walking past them into the room. 

Kealii looked up at him. “You can’t just call me and say you’re going to die, that’s not okay,” he chastised. 

“Sorry, I was being chased by haunted swords,” Asra said. He took his hat off, letting the disguise spell end, and revealing his injuries. 

Kealii let out a concerned noise and herded him over to the sofa, sitting him down, and getting a cloth and some warm water. As he started to clean the blood away, Alexa disappeared into the bathroom and Asra pulled the lead box of crystal shards from his coat. Kealii leaned back warily, aware of what was inside. Asra quickly put the spoon in the box and returned it to his pocket. 

“The spoon might be haunted,” Asra explained. 

“You need a new job,” Kealii replied, leaning close again to dab Asra’s cheek with the cloth. “What happened?” 

“We fought a wizard ghost and I fell through a glass case,” Asra said, displaying all the cuts on his hands. 

Kealii exhaled, pulling a healer’s kit from his bag. He was angrily focusing on the work, though Asra could see his hands shaking slightly. He stopped him and tilted his chin up, leaning down for a kiss. 

A crash broke the moment and Asra turned. It had come from the bathroom. 

“Alexa?” he called. There was no reply. Asra frowned and exchanged a glance with Kealii. He got up and walked over to the closed door, knocking lightly. 

“You decent? I’m coming in.” 

When there was no reply, he opened the door. Alexa was on the floor next to the bathtub that was filling. Asra turned the tap off and knelt next to her. She seemed to be asleep and he sighed. 

“Not again…” 

He started to pick her up when something pounded on the door. Asra tensed, bolting back out into the room. It kept pounding, and the door began to buckle. Asra grabbed Kealii and pushed him toward the balcony, opening the doors. 

“Asra, what’s going on?” 

“I don’t know, just—” 

The door broke open. Asra pushed Kealii lightly toward the railing and turned, drawing his sword. 

“Run!” he snapped, going back inside as Kealii hopped over the railing, swinging himself nimbly down. Asra knew from experience that Kealii had scaled taller buildings than this one. He would be fine. 

Something in a suit of armor grabbed Asra, lifting him bodily off the ground and slamming him into the wall. Asra shouted in pain, vision swimming. He struggled, trying to see anything beyond the armor. 

It occurred to him then that it might just be armor. He cursed himself mentally. The magic must be following the artifacts. Which meant they had escaped the museum. What if the entire city was being infested by murderous suits of armor? 

“Nakak!” Asra shouted, panicking as he couldn’t get free. 

The imp appeared on the ground below him, immediately cowering slightly from the large figure holding Asra up. 

“Tell Drekker it’s an emergency!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> why didn't i mention asra getting the dust of dryness in wealdstone? because i forgot about it again


	24. Alexa: Questionable Plans

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> alexa tries to find some (old? new?) friends

“--haven’t had any more luck, unfortunately, but--”

Alexa blinked at the plate of food in front of her, trying not to let her confusion show as she waited for her memories to sort themselves out. One moment she’d been in Onesi, pushing Asra and Kealii out of the doorway, and the next she’d been at a table, looking at a light breakfast while Meredosia said something across from her.

“Alexa?”

Alexa looked up. Meredosia was looking at her with an expression somewhere between concerned and questioning. She wondered if she’d been asked a question.

“Sorry. I was, um…” Alexa trailed off, not entirely sure what to say.

Worry flashed across Meredosia’s face before it was replaced by a sad smile. She reached across the table and grabbed Alexa’s hand, giving it a little squeeze. “If you need more rest, it’s okay.”

Alexa shook her head. “No, no. I think I’m fine. Just… distracted is all.” She took her hand back and stabbed her fork into a piece of fruit. “You said you hadn’t had any luck with…?”

“Finding someone who might know what’s happening,” Meredosia said with a hint of frustration. “I’m sure there’s someone, it’s just taking longer than I wanted.”

An idea started to take shape in Alexa’s mind and she tapped the fruit against the plate before sitting her fork down and focusing on Meredosia.

“If it’s not too inconvenient, I have a couple other things we may be able to try.”

“Oh. Of course! Anything,” Meredosia said, looking genuinely happy and relieved.

“If we can find Asra-”

“Asra…” Meredosia interrupted, looking puzzled.

“He’s- well, I don’t know what he is here, but he’s a devil in the other world.”

“Ah. Yes, you’ve mentioned him before.” A hint of disappointment bled into Meredosia’s voice, though Alexa didn’t know if it was about Asra or about the mention of devils.

“I don’t know where he’ll be, but if he’s alive he should be with the Moonshadow Troupe. If you can find it. I have no idea where they are, but they’re rather… secretive.”

Meredosia waved a dismissive hand as she crossed the room to grab something to write with. She returned, scribbled a test mark on the corner of the page and then started making notes.

“I’m sure we can find them,” she said. “Can you repeat that name for me?”

Alexa did and Meredosia jotted it down.

“Wonderful, I’ll have someone start looking right away.” She glanced back up at Alexa. “You said you had a couple of ideas?”

“I did…” Alexa started. She cleared her throat nervously. “I don’t- You’re not going to like this one, but hear me out, okay?”

It looked like Meredosia wanted to argue, but she sighed and nodded once. 

“I want to summon a devil.”

Meredosia’s shoulders fell. “Alexa, no-”

Alexa interrupted her protests. “Please, Mer. This is the fastest way I can think of to get answers. We’ll need someone who can summon something by name and we won’t do it here, but if it works it won’t be a dangerous devil and he’ll be able to help me.”

The silence after Alexa stopped talking quickly grew uncomfortable as Meredosia looked pained, searching Alexa’s face as though she hoped the bard would say this was just a poorly planned joke.

“ _ Please _ ,” Alexa begged, voice quiet.

Meredosia looked down and made a couple hesitant notes before sighing. “If we do this, promise me-” she looked up, locking eyes with Alexa “- _ promise me _ , you’ll talk to someone about all of these… all of this.”

Dreams, nightmares, hallucinations, delusions. Whatever word Meredosia didn’t use still hung uncomfortably in the space left by its omission and Alexa looked down and away, stung by her insistent belief that everything was just a product of Alexa’s imagination. She understood Meredosia’s point of view and, if all of this  _ was _ a dream it wouldn’t matter what she thought anyway, but there was enough doubt that she couldn’t declare either world a figment and it hurt that Meredosia wouldn’t give any amount of credence to the possiblity that the devils Alexa knew were real.

Alexa tapped her thumb against the table. “Fine. Fine. I’ll talk to someone…”

Meredosia gave her hand another gentle squeeze and then stood. “Take it easy today. I’m going to go see about these ideas of yours. I’ll see you later.”

* * *

It was late in the afternoon when Alexa saw Meredosia again next. After abandoning her plate of breakfast, she’d wandered aimlessly for a bit before winding up in one of the small rooms on the upper floors. Quiet staccato notes drifted through the air as Alexa sat sideways in a chair idly plucking at her violin, not quite able to bring herself to play it properly but needing some form of distraction.

The door swung open fully as Meredosia pushed her way in, a small tray with drinks and a couple of pastries in her hands. 

“Hey,” she said, voice soft, as she sat the tray down on a low table and took a seat nearby.

Alexa gave her half a smile in reply.

Meredosia picked up one of the drinks and sat back, letting the mug warm her hands. “I spoke to the mages in town and they agreed to help with your… summoning.”

Alexa’s eyebrows shot up in surprise and she sat up properly. She hadn’t expected Meredosia to find someone so quickly, and with so little resistance.

“You… really?”

She nodded. “They need to get a few things together but they said they could be ready to try it tomorrow morning.”

“Mer…” Alexa’s breath caught in her throat. “ _ Thank you _ .”

“I  _ told you _ I would help you figure this out,” Meredosia said with a small smile. “Even if I think it’s  _ incredibly reckless _ to try summoning a devil.”

“You’re probably right, but if it works…” Alexa let out a breathy laugh, finally picking up her own mug from the tray. “If it  _ works _ , I can finally get real answers.”

“Answers would be very nice,” Meredosia agreed.


	25. Onesi: Guilty Until Proven Innocent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> consequences?? in our dnd game??? it's more likely than you think

“Where is she?” 

Asra’s struggling stilled as a voice issued from behind the metal helmet. He stared at it, confused, and then looked up as two more figures entered the room. They were wearing lighter armor and were clearly guards, though their regalia wasn’t anything he recognized. A cold weight sank into Asra’s stomach as he realized his mistake. 

One of the guards looked into the bathroom. “Sir!” he called. 

The armored man dropped Asra like a sack of bricks and went into the bathroom. The remaining guard walked over to Asra, holding a sword down toward him and taking Asra’s away. 

“Nakak,” Asra hissed. “Nakak!” 

The imp appeared and the guard looked at them in surprise. 

“ixNay on the ekkerDray,” he whispered. 

Nakak looked at him in confusion. 

“I don’t need him anymore! I definitely don’t want him to come here!” Asra insisted. “Please tell me you didn’t already talk to him!” 

They hummed nervously. “Well…” 

“Just do your best to fix it, please!” 

“I’ll try.” They vanished again, just as the guard reached down and grabbed Asra’s collar, hauling him to his feet. Asra spit at him and the man shoved him back, threatening him with the sword again. The armored one came out of the bathroom holding a still unconscious Alexa in his arms. 

“What did you do to her?” he demanded, looking toward Asra. 

“Nothing,” Asra said, honestly. “I don’t know what’s wrong with her, she just passed out. Who are you?” 

“We need to get her back home,” he said, ignoring Asra. “Bring him.” 

As he left the room with Alexa, one of the others grabbed Asra and Alexa’s bags, and the one who’d been pointing a sword at him shoved Asra toward the door. 

“I’ll bring myself, thank you,” Asra snapped, flicking his coat out behind him and stalking out of the room before the guards could lay hands on him again.

In the street, a small crowd had gathered, drawn by the appearance of soldiers. They murmured and pointed as Asra was led outside. He put on a grin and waved like he was in a parade, making over-extravagant bows until the guard shoved him again. As he performed for the onlookers, his gaze rove their faces, searching for one he knew would be there. A slender man with a heavy hood shadowing his face caught up to their little group, pushing his way through the crowd to keep pace with Asra. He made a few signs with his hands. 

_Are you okay?_

Asra incorporated his reply into his performative gestures, not letting his wide grin slip. _Yes. Stay safe. _He was lying, of course. He had no idea who these people were or where they were taking him and he was beginning to suspect he had a concussion, but he didn’t want Kealii trying to follow. 

_Follow your own advice,_ Kealii replied. He halted, his posture frustrated, but seemed to understand what Asra wanted and stepped back into the crowd. 

Asra focused on the road, trying to figure out where they were headed. It was a part of the city he’d never been in before, but it was pretty clear he was being led toward the tower at the end of the road. As they got closer, a sign denoted it as some sort of mage academy. Asra tensed, his jovial posturing disappearing as he was pushed inside. He hated academics. 

A robed mage came to meet them as they hurried inside, keeping pace with the armored man holding Alexa. 

“We need to get back to Gilamoor,” he said sharply. 

“Of course. The portal’s ready for you,” the mage replied. 

_Portal? _Asra thought. He halted, shifting his appearance to gain horns and fangs and claws, turning on his escorts and snarling a threat in Infernal. The guards grabbed his arms, wrenching them behind his back and shoving him forward. Asra dug his heels in, leaning his full weight backward. Against two guards on the tiled floor he didn’t have much luck. He twisted and spat and snarled, trying to unnerve them into loosening their grip. 

He was forced into a circular room, with runes drawn on the floor. A few mages stood around the center dais and, at a word, their magic coalesced into a watery portal. The man holding Alexa walked through without hesitation, vanishing from the room. Asra renewed his efforts to get away. He broke free momentarily before one of the guards slammed an elbow into his stomach, staggering him enough to be grabbed and dragged through the portal. 

After a now familiar twisting sensation, they were through into a similar room, with another group of mages manning the portal. The mages, at least, startled back when they saw Asra being dragged through. He was forced out into the hall, a guard on either side to restrain his arms. They left the building and stepped out onto a new street in a new city. Asra had no idea where he was, but the stars were the same. He hadn’t gone _that _far, then. 

There were more soldiers waiting outside, with horses ready. The armored man got onto one, holding Alexa securely in front of him. 

“Restrain it and bring it to the dungeon,” he ordered, before spurring his horse and riding up the street toward a castle. 

“_It_?” Asra echoed, offended beyond measure. The guards pulled his hands around to the front and another came up with a set of iron manacles. As he attempted to put them on, Asra bit him, his sharpened teeth drawing blood. The guard startled back, dropping the manacles, and Asra bolted, making it only a few meters before he was tackled by several people. He hit the cobbled street, the breath knocked out of him, and felt something crack. Pain shot through his ribs and he stilled, allowing himself to be rolled over and shackled. As he was pulled to his feet, he managed a bloody grin at the guard he had bitten, before he was tied to a horse and dragged toward the castle. 

Not ten minutes later, he was being thrown unceremoniously into a cell. 

Asra shifted on the stone floor, leaning against a wall. He awkwardly reached into his coat and fished out a card. The Empress. She whispered in his ear and gave him a handful of berries that he ate slowly, feeling some of his wounds start to heal. 

With a hushed pop, Nakak appeared next to him. They looked around at the cell, surprised, and Asra shrugged. 

“I got kidnapped. What’s the word, little friend?” he said, in Infernal, wary of the guards at the end of the cell block. 

“Well, there’s good news and bad news,” Nakak replied. “Good news, I convinced Drekker that you solved the emergency and didn’t need his help after all.” 

“Fantastic. What’s the bad news?” 

“Ah, um… well, I told him that you… made a deal and are bringing him a soul,” they said, in a rush, ears folding back nervously. 

Asra exhaled slowly. “Okay… okay that’s… not great, but it’s not the end of the world. I can… probably find a soul somewhere…” He rubbed at his temple. “Can you do me a favor? An easier one, this time. I need information about elemental chaos. A book or something, maybe. Try to be discreet.” 

Nakak thought for a moment and then nodded. “I’ll see what I can do,” they said, vanishing. 

Asra rolled over and scooted to the bars on his belly. “Hey,” he called. “Hey. Where the fuck am I? Don’t I get a trial?” 

Neither of the guards replied. He sat up and wedged a hand through the bars, flipping them off, before scootching back to his spot by the wall. He pulled his sending stone out. 

“I’m okay,” he said, in Celestial. “I mean I’m in prison and I bit someone, but I’m fine.” 

_You _bit_ someone? _Kealii replied, sounding exasperated. 

“Yes, let’s move past it. I need to buy a soul like, yesterday, or Drekker’s going to, worst case, kill me, best case, be very annoyed and probably torture me again,” he said, belatedly realizing he hadn’t told Kealii about the first time. 

_Again?! Asra! _

“Sorry.” 

There was silence, for a long moment, and then Kealii’s voice came again, hesitant. 

_If… if you need a soul, there’s always—_

“No. No way. Absolutely not,” Asra interrupted angrily. 

_But— _

“No,” he snapped. “I am not handing you over to Drekker!” 

_How are you getting out of this, then?_

“I’ll… figure something out. I’ve made a deal before, I can do it again. Assuming I get let out of this cell anytime soon.” 

_I don’t like this, but fine. Try to come back soon, okay? I love you._

Asra sighed. “Love you too. I’ll see you soon, I promise.” He tucked the stone back away, seemingly just in time as Nakak reappeared, holding a heavy tome over their head triumphantly. 

“Ah! Wonderful, thank you,” Asra said, fishing a jewelled ring out of his pocket. Nakak traded it for the book, delighted. 

“Anything else?” 

“That should be all, for now.” 

The imp vanished again. Asra found a stone on the floor and touched it, muttering a word. It began to glow with a bright, warm light. He shifted, opening the book and starting to read, hoping to find anything that could tell him how to help Alexa. 

* * *

It was dark when Alexa woke next. It couldn’t be more than a few hours until dawn; a few hours until they planned to try summoning a devil. Her stomach fluttered and she drew in a deep breath, trying to squash down the nerves. She shifted, thinking a more comfortable position might help her get back to sleep more quickly and had to stifle a groan as unexpectedly stiff muscles protested the movement.

Waking up feeling like this was starting to get very old. Was it really so much to ask for a single day of waking up feeling properly refreshed?

She snatched a wad of blanket up and buried her face in it, ignoring the sudden movement to her side. Meredosia would just have to deal with a few inches less of blanket.

“... Alexa?”

At least she _would_ have ignored it if Meredosia’s voice hadn’t sounded like _that_ \- quiet, but raw and panicked, laced through with both hope and despair. She hadn’t been happy about the plan to summon a devil, but there was no reason for her to be sounding like this unless someone had died in the last couple of hours.

Alexa pulled the blanket away a bit and squinted at her, gears turning in her mind as she tried to guess what all could have gone wrong. Obviously Alexa hadn’t died, because she was alive right now. If someone important had died, she can’t imagine she would’ve just been left here to snooze. At the very least Meredosia wouldn’t just be here watching her sleep.

Meredosia, for her part, looked much the same as her voice sounded. Panicked but hopeful and it was obvious she’d been crying. As soon as Alexa made eye contact with her the tears started flowing again. Her hands moved toward Alexa and then away again, as though she couldn’t figure out what to do with them.

“You’re alive...” It was the smallest, disbelieving whisper.

_Oh no._

Alexa’s confusion turned into suspicion and then into dread. This wasn’t the behavior she expected from the Meredosia who was supposed to help her summon Volin in the morning - this was the behavior of a Meredosia who’d just found out what happened in the mountains. This was the behavior of another new Meredosia. 

Alexa sat up, slowly, and hesitated a moment before taking one of Meredosia’s hands in her own; Meredosia held on like she was never going to let go.

“I’m going to ask you something, and it’s going to sound very strange, but I need you to answer it for me, ok?”

“Alexa, you--”

Alexa shushed her. “No, _listen_. _Please_. This is important.”

Meredosia looked like she was going to argue, but gave a small nod.

“Are we summoning a devil in the morning? Did we speak last night about how the summoning was going to work?”

The look Alexa was given in answer to her question was one that said she’d lost her entire mind.

“You…” Meredosia sniffled and wiped away some of her tears. “Alexa you were _dead_. Up until a couple hours ago you had been dead for _months. _We had… I saw...”

_Oh…_

Alexa pulled her into a tight embrace. Meredosia instantly returned the gesture, clutching desperately to Alexa and burying her face in her shoulder.

“I am so, _so_ sorry,” Alexa whispered.

They sat there for a time, Meredosia sobbing into Alexa’s shoulder, Alexa humming some nameless tune and rubbing a hand across her shoulders, before Alexa pulled back slightly. She wiped away some tears from Meredosia’s cheek and sighed.

“I… I should’ve told you all of this so long ago but, um… I’m a devil,” Alexa said with a sheepish shrug and what was certainly the most awkward smile to grace her face. “Or, at least I have been since I um… y’know. Not the whole time we’ve known each other. I sold my soul as a child and I sort of knew this would happen eventually but I expected to be… well... old.”

It was impossible to tell what Meredosia was thinking, and the longer she stayed silent the more uncomfortable Alexa became. She didn’t know if she was about to be murdered or banished or just kicked out, but she was certain it would be one of them. Maybe all three of them.

Meredosia looked down, running a thumb across the back of Alexa’s hand. “Two weeks…”

Alexa huffed, not quite a laugh. “And I better come back in one piece.”

Meredosia gave her a pained smile. “You are… _incredibly_ insufferable.”

Now Alexa truly laughed and gave Meredosia a quick kiss. “I know.” 

She looked up and away at the room around her, trying to keep herself from dissolving into a teary mess of her own. They were in Alexa’s room and nothing looked any different from how she’d left it those few months ago, save for a small pile of adventuring gear on the desk in the corner.

It occurred to her that the last thing she could remember was running from malevolent dresses in Onesi.

“How did I get here?”

“Phillip brought you here,” Meredosia said. “I got your… incredibly vague letter.”

“Ah… yeah, sorry about that, but I didn’t think you’d believe a letter that said ‘Hi, I’m actually a devil now and want to say hi and sorry.’”

“I, um…” Meredosia paused. “I didn’t believe it--”

“That’s fair.”

“-- so I sent Phillip and a few of his men to... figure out who sent it. He found you in a hotel room with a very bizarre man.”

Alexa blinked in surprise - she’d forgotten about Asra completely. As she thought of what must have happened in Onesi she got a slight dawning sense of horror.

“He didn’t kill Asra, did he?”

It was Meredosia’s turn to look sheepish and Alexa’s horror grew.

“_Did_ he kill him?” she whispered.

“No,” Meredosia quickly assured her. “No… but we did lock him in a cell.”

“Oh. No that was probably smart,” Alexa said. “He just would have been _horrible _to deal with if he’d died.”

At Meredosia’s look of hopeless confusion, Alexa clarified, “He’s also a devil. We both work for the same guy.”

“Ah.”

“And we may need to let him out before he annoys a guard to death.”


	26. Onesi: New Friends and Old

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> make new friends but keep the old, those are silver, these are liars

Hours passed before Asra heard footsteps on the stairs. He closed the book as the door to the dungeon opened and he heard a woman’s voice speaking to the guard. 

“Nakak,” Asra murmured, giving them the book when they appeared. “Hide this for me.” 

Nakak took the tome and vanished, a few moments before the guard appeared outside his cell. Behind him stood a woman with long red hair, wearing a casual, but clearly expensive, dress. And behind her stood Alexa. 

“Oh, hello,” Asra said. “You’re alive, are you? Mind explaining why a giant armored asshole broke into our room and nearly killed me?” 

“Because you look like a monster?” Alexa suggested. 

The guard opened the door and came in, crouching to unlock Asra’s manacles. As he did, Asra noticed his hand was bandaged. The guard stepped back and Asra swiped his tongue across his teeth, biting the air with a grin. He hurried back out into the hall, looking uncomfortable. 

“I look like a monster because I was dragged into a dungeon against my will,” Asra growled, standing up and brushing dust off his coat. As he did, his appearance shifted back to normal. “That tends to make a person tetchy.” 

He stepped out of the cell, looking curiously at the woman that put herself between him and Alexa. Her expression was guarded, but it was clear she was assessing him. 

“I apologize for your treatment,” she said, after a moment, “but from what Phillip told me, you did not make it… _abundantly_ clear that you were innocent.” 

The way she spoke had a cadence that Asra wasn’t intimately familiar with, but one that he knew. She was a noble. And the fact that she was down here to free him told him this was either her castle or she had a lot of power here. 

“I was being abducted, I didn’t exactly feel like trying to explain my life story,” Asra said, crossing his arms. 

“Alexa sent me a letter… I… thought she was dead, so I sent Phillip and his men to figure out who was impersonating her,” she explained. “But we can discuss this further somewhere more pleasant.” She gestured down the hall and led the way out of the dungeon. 

Alexa walked next to her, their fingers intwined. Asra hung back a few steps as he was guided up through the castle into a sitting room. He could put together that this woman was who Alexa had reached out to for money in Onesi, and they seemed to be quite close. Interesting. 

Asra didn’t sit down as she and Alexa did. He needed to find a soul to buy as soon as possible and wasn’t much in the mood for chatting. 

“My name’s Meredosia,” the red-haired woman said. 

“Asra.”

“Yes, Alexa’s told me a bit about you. Please, make yourself at home.” 

Asra smiled. “As much as I’d love to have my run of a castle, I’ve got deals to make and boyfriends to reassure.” 

Alexa snorted. “Deals to make? You? Since when?” 

“Since Nakak told Drekker I was bringing him a piping hot soul, fresh out of the oven,” Asra said. “I’d invite you to help, but you two seem like you have things to talk about, so I just have one question: where the fuck am I and how do I get back to Onesi? Unless you don’t mind me buying someone here.” He paused. “That’s two questions, I guess.” 

“Gilamoor, and I’d rather you didn’t,” Meredosia replied. She stood up, walking over to a desk, and wrote something down on a slip of paper. “Head back to the mage’s guild and they can open a portal for you,” she said, handing him the paper that bore instructions to allow him through, with her signature. 

Asra put it in his pocket and turned, catching sight of Alexa putting a hand to her forehead. Meredosia saw as well and hurried over, asking if she was all right. Before Alexa could reply, her eyes rolled back and she fell limp, unconscious again. 

“Guard!” Meredosia called, and one was instantly in the room. “Find a healer, quickly.” 

The guard left, passing a large man coming through the door. He watched the guard leave, surprised, and looked at Meredosia. 

“What’s going on?” he asked, and Asra recognized his voice as the armored man who had attacked him. There was some family resemblance between him and Meredosia. 

“Alexa passed out,” Meredosia said worriedly. “Can you carry her to her room?” 

As he picked Alexa up, Meredosia looked at Asra, almost seeming surprised that he was still there. 

“Do you know what’s wrong with her?” she asked. 

“No, I don’t,” Asra said, and it was mostly the truth. He let them leave the room and head down the hall before he left in the opposite direction, finding his way out of the castle and back onto the street. 

Gilamoor was a fairly small city, compared to Onesi, but it was well kept and beautiful. At the moment, it was bathed in the light of sunset. He had been here an entire day. As he walked back down the street toward the guild, he pulled the stone pendant out of his shirt. 

“Hey, I’m headed back to Onesi,” he said, in Celestial. “How’d you like to spend the evening at the dark market?” 

_Sounds fun,_ Kealii replied. _Are you all right? _

“I’m fine. I’ll meet you outside that mage… academy… tower… thing they dragged me into.” 

Asra had no trouble getting back through the portal—Meredosia’s signature was plenty enough for the mages to reopen it for him—and he came through into the tower in Onesi, hurrying back down the long hallway and out onto the street. 

He only had to wait a few moments before a familiar figure trotted out to meet him from a side street. Kealii looped an arm around Asra, tugging him down for a kiss. He dropped back down onto his heels, holding Asra’s hand and leaning against him as they walked down the street toward where Asra remembered the entrance to the underground to be. 

“Are you sure you’re all right?” Kealii asked. 

“I’m fine,” Asra said. “Alexa isn’t. She keeps passing out. But it turns out I was kidnapped by her… girlfriend? Who has a castle. So I’ve had a weird day.” 

Kealii laughed quietly. “At least she’s somewhere safe. Do you have any idea what’s wrong with her?”

“No idea. I mean… somewhat of an idea. It has to be something to do with the chaos crystal thing, I think. I’ve been trying to read up on elemental chaos but it’s a bit… inscrutable. It’s not telling me a whole lot about how to fix her, so I’m going to concentrate on my own problems and hope she can solve hers without me.” 

“If I can help…” Kealii offered, shrugging. 

“You help by existing and being adorable and giving me a reason to give a shit about anything,” Asra said. “Any more than that puts you in too much danger.” 

Kealii smiled. “And yet, here you are, dragging me to a dark market.” 

“You say as if you’ve never been to one before. Don’t try and act all innocent.” 

Kealii laughed as they ducked down an alley. 

“Besides, I need your endless supply of charm to get me customers,” Asra went on, turning another corner and spotting the same dwarf sitting where he had been before. He whistled a few notes. 

“Customers?” Kealii asked. 

“Who wouldn’t sell their soul to know their future?” Asra said, in answer. He refocused on the dwarf as they reached the hidden door. “I’m back. Oh, wait—” He pulled out his hat, as the dwarf gave him a puzzled look, putting it on and summoning up the same disguise he had been wearing last time he’d been through here. 

“Ah, you,” the dwarf said. He rapped his knuckles on the wall and the door opened. Asra swept his hat back off in a bow as he gestured through the door. 

“Oh, what a gentleman,” Kealii said, rolling his eyes with a faint smile, and heading inside. Asra trotted down the stairs after him, hearing the false wall slide shut behind them. 

They came through into the market, through the spell dampening the noise. It was as bustling as last time he and Alexa had been here. Kealii looked around interestedly, probably making a mental list of things he wanted to buy, as Asra took his hand and led him straight toward the tavern. Once they were inside, Asra found a table in a shadowed corner and pulled out his cards, shuffling them. 

“You know what to do,” Asra said. It wasn’t the first time he and Kealii had run this particular scam, but this time Kealii hesitated, sitting down next to him. 

“Doesn’t it seem wrong to trick drunk people into selling their soul?” 

“Yes. It’s terrible, I’m not saying it isn't. I’m saying it’s my best chance right now to get a soul and if I don’t I will probably be summarily mulched.” 

Kealii sighed. Asra leaned over, pressing a kiss to his cheek. 

“Look, I’m not tricking them. I’ll be upfront with it, it’s their choice if they want to sign.” 

Kealii looked sideways at him. “So the fact that you’re going after people who aren’t in their right mind…?” 

“I didn’t say they had to be drunk,” Asra pointed out. “This is just a good place for a fortune teller. Lots of customers around.” 

“You didn’t have to say it, I know you well enough,” Kealii said. He sighed again. “Fine. I don’t… like it, but if this is the most you’re going to let me do to protect you…” He stood up, ruffling a hand through Asra’s hair before walking off toward the bar. As he did, Asra watched his posture and expression shift into barker mode, quickly gathering a gaggle of patrons with his words and gestures. 

Soon enough, Asra had a small crowd of customers. When he named the price, a few left immediately. Others feigned confidence, only balking and backing out when he produced a contract. A few remained until he requested a signature in blood. And one stayed. 

He was human and seemed like he’d only had a few drinks. He read over the contract and tipped his head. 

“Can I get anything else?” he asked. 

“Within reason,” Asra replied. “What do you want?” 

“Hm… uh… gold?” His eyes lit up suddenly. “Eight thousand,” he said, and Asra got the impression this man had suddenly stumbled upon the magical solution to a problem he had. 

Asra maintained his neutral expression. He felt Kealii tense next to him, but he didn’t let his alarm show. Eight thousand was significantly less than thirty thousand. Not that he could ask Drekker this time. But perhaps Meredosia would lend it to him. Or he could rob a bank. He’d already robbed a museum this week. 

“I can do that,” he said, and wrote it into the contract, sliding it back over with the quill. “In blood, please. On the line.” 

The man produced a dagger and slit his finger tip, filling the quill and scratching out a signature. Asra snapped and the contract vanished. He shuffled his cards, letting the Arcana whisper secrets into his ears. He split the deck and dealt a few cards, reading out the man’s fortune and weaving his secrets into it to confirm the legitimacy. 

Afterward, Asra stood, putting his cards away. “I’ll return here tomorrow with your gold,” he said. 

He and Kealii left the tavern and the bard was maintaining a very good facsimile of a calm demeanor until he dragged Asra off into a dark corner. 

“Where are you getting eight thousand gold?” he demanded. 

“Alexa’s girlfriend, hopefully,” Asra said. He pulled Kealii close. “Relax, it’s going to be fine.” 

“I somehow don’t believe you,” Kealii replied, but relaxed against him, arms wrapped around Asra’s waist. 

“Tell you what, why don’t we do some shopping before we go back to Gilamoor. I spent most of my gold on sending stones, but I’ve got a bit left. I’ll buy you whatever you want.” 

“You can’t win me over with trinkets,” Kealii said, looking up at him. Then he smiled. “But I _did_ see a really pretty cloak over there…” 

Asra laughed, letting Kealii take his hand and lead him back out into the market.

* * *

It was dawn when they returned to Gilamoor, the sun just beginning to rise behind the castle as Asra and Kealii walked up the road. The guards at the entrance recognized Asra and let him through, one of them coming along to show them the way to Alexa’s room. 

Inside the room, Alexa lay in bed, still unconscious, with Meredosia sitting at her side. Meredosia’s brother stood nearby, narrowing his eyes when Asra came in. 

“You’re back,” Meredosia said, almost surprised. 

“Yes, and I have a favor to ask,” Asra said. “Can I borrow eight thousand gold? I’ll pay you back, but I need it by tonight.” 

“How dare you ask us for favors, after—” Phillip started angrily, and Meredosia held up a hand. 

“I’ll give it to you on one condition,” she said and Phillip looked sharply at her. “Help Alexa.” 

Asra looked at Alexa’s still form and watched her shift, slightly, without moving. He nodded. 

“I was doing that, anyway,” he said. “I think I know what caused this, although I don’t know how to fix it yet.” 

“Tell me what happened,” Meredosia said. “I’m sure together we can find a solution.” 

Asra exhaled, gathering his thoughts for a moment. “Okay. Okay, so… a while ago, both of us were sent on an expedition to Stygia and—” 

Before Asra could say any more, there came a light, muffled, knock from behind him, like gloved knuckles rapping on a door frame. Meredosia’s gaze slid past him and her brow drew together, no recognition in her eyes. 

Asra turned, one hand going to the hilt of his sword. He tensed, eyes widening with a confusing jumble of emotions. Happiness, confusion, and, most prominently, anger. The figure in the doorway, with a hand still raised to knock, and his other arm holding a large jar full of luminescent moths, was fairly tall, clad in dark clothes and a cowled hood. The face under the hood appeared human, but Asra knew it wasn’t. It was a disguise, and it was a disguise that he remembered crafting with Alexa’s help, back in Wealdstone. 

“...Volin?” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *jazz hands* supriiiiise


	27. Alexa: Summoning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Alexa finds nothing but more questions

“Are you still sure about this?”

Alexa ignored the question for the moment, instead marvelling at the room before her. When she’d thought about trying this, she’d thought at most they’d have some holy water on hand, maybe someone who could banish a fiend. The mages they were working with, however, had gone above and beyond. The room was covered in all manner of protective runes and sigils - some she recognized and many more she didn’t - and far more casters than she expected to see. Some looked like they would be directly involved, while others hovered near the walls, looking like they were there in case something went wrong. 

Meredosia gave her hand a gentle squeeze. “Alexa? It’s ok if you change your mind.”

She drew in a deep breath. “No. No, I need answers.”

Meredosia looked disappointed for a moment, but gave her a small nod and led her over to one of the casters - a wizard. He explained how the ritual would work - they would do all the work weaving the magic, and she would give the name of the creature they were trying to summon when they gave her the cue. Easy enough.

When everything was ready, Meredosia took a cautious step back and the casters got to work. The room echoed with their chants and hummed with the building energy of the spell. The silence was deafening when they stopped and gestured at Alexa to provide the name.

She spoke loudly, trying to keep the waver out of her voice. “Volin.”

An unheard thunderclap shook the room. The casters at the periphery tensed, their eyes going to the circle of runes in the middle of the room. A beat passed, the rumble subsided…

Nothing.

The wizard glanced first at Meredosia then at Alexa.

“Can we try again?” Alexa asked.

“We…” He looked to Meredosia again.

“ _ Please, _ ” she added. Either to the wizard or to Meredosia. Maybe to both. Maybe to the universe at large.

The wizard nodded, gestured to the other casters to take their places. The chanting began anew, the energy built anew, the hungry silence waited for a name.

“Asra.”

The room shook, the energy released.

Nothing.

Alexa’s breath shook as she tried to keep her composure. “Do it again.”

Chanting. Energy. Silence.

“Nymm.”

Nothing.

Her fist clenched and her vision blurred. This wasn’t possible.  _ Someone _ had to exist.

“Again.”

“Alexa…”

“ _ Again! _ ”

There was a moment more of hesitation before the chanting started again. Energy built. Silence waited. Her muscles ached with the nervous tension.

“Drekker’Vas.”

A rumble...

A beat...

Nothing.

A strangled, distressed noise escaped her throat. “Summon anything. Any devil.”

The casters glanced nervously amongst themselves and she snapped at the wizard. “ _ Now! _ ”

“ _ Alexa. _ ” Meredosia stepped in front of her, hands on Alexa’s shoulders. “Enough.”

“I need answers and I don’t have them yet.  _ Someone _ has to exist.” She felt tears track down her cheeks. “ _ Please... _ ”

Disappointment and pain were clear on Meredosia’s face. She sighed, stepped back and held up a finger to the wizard. “One more. Then we’re done.”

With that, she stepped to Alexa’s side, staying with her instead of farther back. Alexa clutched her hand, desperate for something, anything, to make sense.

The voices of the casters rang out again, filling the room with new sounds and energies. The air snapped and an imp stood in the middle of the room. It first looked irritated at having been summoned and then, as it took in everything and everyone around it, suddenly became very nervous.

“Oh… uh… hello.”

“You,” she said, getting its attention. “What is happening in Hell? Why doesn’t anyone exist?”

It gave her a baffled look. “Uhm…”

“Did demons attack Avernus en masse within the last month?”

“There was a big battle a few... years ago…?”

“Did Bel fight a balor? Did they find demons in Stygia?”

The imp blinked at her and then arched a look at the wizard.

“ _ Look _ ,” she snarled. “ _ I _ am currently caught up in some reality hopping bullshit and I’m  _ trying _ to find answers. I sold my soul and in one world I’ve died and gone to hell and in this one I  _ lived _ and  _ no one exists. _ ”

“You still have your soul,” the imp said.

It was Alexa’s turn to blink in confusion. “No, I don’t.”

The imp drew itself up to its full foot-and-a-half height and would have grabbed the lapels of its jacket like a fancy lawyer if it had been wearing one. In a haughty, matter-of-fact tone it said, “Now look here - I might be pretty low in the hierarchy, but I like to think I know my stuff and you, madam, still very much have your soul.”

Alexa opened her mouth to retort, but found no words. She closed her mouth and keened quietly. Meredosia put her arm around Alexa’s shoulders and began guiding her out of the room.

Somewhere behind them she heard the imp say, “Now… would anyone like to sell their soul to fix her?” Another small pop echoed through the room as someone banished it. Alexa barely heard it, barely registered Meredosia’s presence beside her as they left the room.

She still… had her soul?

It made no sense. She  _ remembered _ her deal. She remembered the meeting in that dirty alley, remembered signing the paper she could barely read. But here was this little imp, telling her that hadn’t happened.

Did none of the other devils exist in this world because no one had made their deals? Had they done their deals and not died yet? Had they become devils and died already?

She didn’t know what to do.

She’d banked everything on being able to summon Volin here. He might have died in Stygia, but he couldn’t be dead everywhere. Volin always had the answers and she had needed him to have the answers to all of this. Drekker might know, but Drekker seemed just as likely to mulch her as to help her find answers.

She wasn’t sure when they’d gotten back into the castle, but she stumbled to a stop and dropped onto the bed as soon as it was near enough. Meredosia sat next to her, providing as much comfort as she could.

Alexa choked back a quiet sob as all the anxiety, frustration, and exhaustion caught up to her. 

“I don’t know what’s happening,” she whispered.

Meredosia shushed her. “We’re going to get you through this, I promise.”

* * *

Night welcomed Alexa back to consciousness once again. Embers in the fireplace cast a dull light around the dark room, revealing an exhausted Meredosia nodding off in a chair. Alexa shifted, sighing through the new round of aches, and quietly called to Meredosia. She woke with a small start and crossed the room when Alexa patted the empty bed next to her.

“How are you feeling? When you passed out again, we--”

“When I what?” Alexa interrupted, confused. Granted, she didn’t remember going to sleep, but she certainly didn’t remember passing out in this particular world.

“It was when we were in the study with Asra,” Meredosia said, with her own hint of confusion.

“Wait, you found him?”

A look of deep concern crossed Meredosia’s face and she touched her hand to Alexa’s forehead before responding. “He’s been here the whole time… do you not remember?”

Realization dawned in Alexa’s mind. “Ah. No, it’s… sorry.”

“Do you want to talk about it?”

Alexa sighed and pushed herself up into a sitting position, leaning back against the headboard and giving Meredosia a flat, disbelieving look. “Do you really want to hear about it?”

Meredosia rolled her eyes and sat next to Alexa, pulling the blankets up over both their laps. “Of course I do.”

“Oh,” Alexa said, taken aback. “Right… well…” She paused a moment to gather her thoughts before barrelling headlong into the truth.

It wasn’t necessarily the entire detailed truth, but it was enough, Alexa thought. Meredosia didn’t need to know the specifics of how disgusting demons or rotting corpses were or who all the various devils she’d met were, so she glossed over some of that. It still took a considerable amount of time to catch her up, and Alexa was eternally grateful for Meredosia’s infinite patience and willing ears. By the time she’d caught up to the present the faintest hint of dawn was creeping into the sky outside and Alexa’s seemingly ever-present headache had started to make itself known again.

“That’s… a lot,” Meredosia said after a moment.

Alexa snorted and a small, sad laugh escaped Meredosia before she said, “I wish there was something I could do to help.”

Alexa leaned into her. “You are helping. And you didn’t know… anything.”

“And who’s fault is that?”

“Shush.”

Alexa yawned and she immediately followed it with a groan of complaint. The last thing she wanted was to go back to sleep and have no control over where she woke up or what happened next.

“I really don’t  _ want  _ to, but I think I’m going to fall asleep again,” she said, trying to at least give Meredosia some warning this time.

“We’ll get this figured out, I promise.”


	28. Onesi: A Dream You Can't Remember

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> it all happened and then it never did

“_... _Volin?” 

Asra’s grip slackened on the hilt of his sword slightly as he stared at the devil who stood in the doorway. His voice was quiet, stunned, but slowly, as he realized all that this meant, anger began to rise in the back of his throat. Volin was alive, which meant he hadn’t died in Stygia, which meant he _knew_ he wouldn’t die in Stygia. He had lied to Asra and then used him to lie to Drekker. To what end, Asra had no idea, but he didn’t like being used. 

“Yes, it’s me, I—” Volin started, taking a few steps into the room and setting the jar of moths on a table near the door.

“You son of a bitch!” Asra snarled. Arms around his waist stopped him from surging forward. 

“Asra,” Kealii said, sharply. His tone did more than his grip to hold Asra back. Asra turned and found Kealii looking at him with a steady, concerned, gaze. 

“That’s… not exactly the response I was expecting,” Volin said, though he didn’t sound entirely surprised. 

Asra spun around and punched him in the face. “Oh, fuck off!” he snarled, shaking his hand out. “You got exactly the greeting you deserve. You owe me a fucking explanation.” 

Volin didn’t reply immediately, checking some sort of timepiece on his wrist. He sighed. 

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” he said. “You deserve an explanation, but right now we don’t have time. Alexa is in great danger.” 

“Alexa’s _been_ in danger since we got back from Stygia,” Asra said. “Didn’t see you jumping into help then. Just leaving me with a bunch of demon crystals in my pocket.” 

“Asra,” Kealii said, again, quietly. He laid a hand on Asra’s arm and his gaze was still concerned, but softer now. “Calm down.” 

Asra exhaled sharply, looking away. “Fine. Talk.” 

Volin smiled, ever so slightly, looking around Asra. “Thank you, Kealii,” he said. Asra tensed. How did Volin know Kealii’s name? Before he could ask, Volin continued. "Speaking of which..." He reached into his cloak and pulled out a slim metal box, identical to the one Asra had containing the crystals. "Trade me?"

Asra stared at him for a long moment, eyes narrowed, hands clenching and unclenching as he struggled with whether to trust him or not. _Why not_, he thought. He didn't need the crystals anymore and Volin might be Alexa's only hope at this point. He pulled the lead box from his coat and handed it over, taking the one Volin offered. Perhaps he should have looked inside, but at the moment he didn't really care.

Volin tucked the box away in his cloak and turned to Meredosia. “Alexa is on a dangerous precipice at the moment. We have a limited amount of time before she’s lost for good, and I don’t necessarily mean dead.” 

“Can you save her?” Meredosia asked. 

“I believe so, but the solution won’t be… elegant.” He looked at Asra. “You’ll have to kill her.” 

Asra blinked. It made sense, he thought, as loathe as he was to trust Volin again. If what was affecting her was magical in some way, it wouldn’t go with her on the trip through the Styx, for the same reason he had lost his cards on his first trip. He sighed and drew his sword. 

“Fine.” 

“Wait, what?” Meredosia and Kealii said simultaneously, both equally alarmed, though probably for different reasons. 

Asra turned to Kealii, as Volin explained how devils worked to Meredosia. “She won’t die. I mean she’ll die, but she’ll be back in a week.” 

“That’s not really what I’m worried about,” Kealii said. “I’m more worried about how blasé you are about killing someone.” 

“I’m blasé about it because I know she’ll be fine and it’ll save her. Besides, she’s asleep, so it won’t hurt,” Asra said. He wasn’t exactly excited to run his sword through Alexa, but fretting over it wouldn’t change anything.

Kealii sighed, not satisfied. “I just… I don’t ever want you to… kill someone and not feel anything about it,” he said softly. 

Asra put a hand on his cheek, pulling him close and leaning down for a light kiss. “I promise I’ll tell you if I start turning into a monster,” he murmured, trying to lighten Kealii’s mood. Kealii rolled his eyes, but smiled. 

Asra turned back toward the bed and looked at Volin questioningly, lifting his sword. Volin checked the timepiece again. 

“In a moment,” he said. 

The silence that followed made Asra fidgety, so he clicked his tongue. “You wanna get back on my good side, I could use eight thousand gold,” he said to Volin. “I need a soul and I almost got one, but…” 

“Oh,” Volin said, as if just remembering something. He smiled, reaching into a pocket on his cloak. “It’s taken care of.” He pulled out what looked like a glass orb filled with a soft, white glow. Asra took it and it felt warm in his hand, gently thrumming with energy. 

“You…” he said, faltering uncertainly, equally unsure how Volin had known he needed this, and why he was simply giving it to him. He shook his head and put the soul in his pocket. 

Volin checked his watch again and nodded to Asra. 

“All right, Kealii look away,” Asra said, climbing up onto the bed. “Excuse me, Meredosia.” She got up and stepped away, watching as Asra sank his sword into Alexa’s chest. 

With everyone’s attention focused on Asra, no one noticed as Volin backed toward the door. He picked up the jar and opened it, releasing the moths into the room, and walked into the hallway. One of the moths rested on his fingers and he lifted it to his face, murmuring quietly to it. 

“You didn’t see me, I was never here,” he said softly. “It was your idea to kill Alexa and Nakak brought you the soul.” 

He released the moth, readjusting his hood as he heard a scream come from Alexa’s room, and left the castle. 

In the room, Asra stumbled back off the bed, watching as Alexa burst into flames. Before he could properly react, a moth landed on his face. Its wings obscured his vision, nearly blinding him with its mesmerising luminescence. It flapped its wings and Asra’s mind went blank, before it vanished and it had never existed. 

Asra stared at the flames, as Meredosia screamed, panic rising in his chest. This wasn’t supposed to happen. He sheathed his sword and grabbed Kealii’s hand, bolting out of the room. They fled the castle, back out onto the streets of Gilamoor, and Asra nearly ran into a hooded man walking in the same direction. He shoved him out of the way, dragging Kealii back toward the portal. 

It didn’t make sense, he thought, as they ran back through Onesi, out into the wilds where the troupe was camped. It didn’t make sense. Devils burst into flames when they died in the Nine Hells. That was what he had learned in Stygia. That was what had happened to Volin. So why had it happened to Alexa? It didn’t make sense. He had been trying to save her. He had been so sure his idea would work. And now she was dead. She was dead, maybe forever, by his hand, his— 

“Asra!” 

Asra snapped back into the present and found himself sitting in his and Kealii’s tent, with Kealii in front of him. He got the feeling it wasn’t the first time his name had been said. 

“Breathe,” Kealii said. “Just breathe. Try to tell me what’s going on.” 

“That wasn’t supposed to happen,” Asra said. “She wasn’t supposed to—I killed her.” 

“That was the plan, right?” Kealii asked. “You said it would work.” 

“I thought—but devils aren’t supposed to incinerate like that—that’s what happened in Stygia…” he faltered and took a breath, trying to slow his heart. “I might have killed her.” 

Kealii was quiet for a moment and then shifted around, pulling Asra into his arms and tugging him down to lay on his chest as he leaned back against the pillows. “You didn’t know,” he said softly, carding his fingers through Asra’s hair, trying to calm him. “It’s not your fault.” 

Asra buried his face against Kealii’s shirt, closing his eyes and trying to pretend all of this was just a bad dream.


	29. Alexa: A Dream You'll Want to Forget

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which alexa has a horrible time and doesn't even get the benefit of a memory moth

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> warning for some fire and some character death

“Get dressed!”

Meredosia’s voice trailed off as she moved down the hall and Alexa blinked, waiting for memories to catch up to reality. Her mind stayed in a tangle of concurrent events and she looked around for context clues. It was definitely daylight, this was definitely Meredosia’s castle, she was definitely standing up.

She glanced down at the material in her hands. A dress - comfortable and simple, bright yellow with embroidered accents. This was what she was changing into, she supposed. Why? How much time had passed since her last clear memories? There was really no telling. No telling what would happen next, either. She changed into the dress, decided against shoes, and left to see where Meredosia had gone.

The castle staff were helpful enough, pointing her along when she reached junctures and hallways that led too many directions for her to guess without wandering the halls for the rest of the day.

It was far brighter outside than Alexa expected, and she shielded her eyes as she blinked the sun spots away. The weather was pleasant, though, and the grass was warm beneath her feet as she wandered into the gardens. 

It didn’t take long before she caught sight of Meredosia. Alexa stopped short, still seemingly unnoticed, and took in the scene before her. A blanket had been draped over a bench and a few plates sat on it, holding a variety of breakfast foods. Meredosia sat on one end of the bench fiddling with something in her hands. 

It was so peaceful and so at odds with everything that had happened recently.

Alexa looked at her own hands, then up at the cloudless blue sky. There was no telling which world this was unless she started shouting to ask, but she was getting tired of that. And getting tired of the looks she got that she felt held some amount of pity and questions of her sanity. Would it matter which world this was? She sighed and dropped her hands back down to her sides. Certainly she could at least eat breakfast and enjoy the sunshine for a few minutes before sounding like a mad woman again.

Meredosia noticed her approach and looked up with a smile. “Good morning.”

“Morning,” Alexa said as she sat down. “This is… not what I expected.”

Meredosia shrugged a shoulder and busied herself with arranging and rearranging some utensils, seeming uncharacteristically distracted and nervous. “I thought it might be nice,” she said. “So much has been happening lately and I thought we deserved a little break.”

“Mm,” Alexa wordlessly agreed.

She decided to eat one of the pastries and took a moment to marvel at its details before she took a bite. The entire day was so… surreal. Everything was peaceful and pleasant and it would be so easy to pretend nothing was wrong, that devils and demons weren’t currently running her ragged. The pastry was soft and flaky, sweetened just enough by the honey and jam. Almost perfect.

The pair spent a while chatting about nothing in particular, keeping the conversation well away from anything recent or supernatural. Teasing Phillip while he wasn’t around to defend himself; talking about the sun or the flowers or the very persistent bee that insisted on buzzing around their plates.

Eventually the conversation lapsed back into a comfortable silence and Meredosia quietly cleared her throat, tucking some hair behind her ear and fussing with a bag on the ground.

“So, I…” She trailed off and huffed quietly. “I did have something of an ulterior motive for this.”

Meredosia’s nervousness was infectious and Alexa found her own mind racing through dozens of thoughts as she tried to figure out what was going on. Having found what she was apparently looking for, Meredosia sat back up. She grabbed Alexa’s hand and placed a simple wooden box in it, keeping one of her hands under Alexa’s own and the other on top of the box for a moment before pulling her hands away.

“With you almost dying and everything else that’s happened, it’s made me realize a few things and I was doing some thinking and I know this isn’t probably the best timing but I love you, Alexa, and I… um… would you marry me?”

Every thought in Alexa’s mind winked out of existence and left a deafening void in their place. She blinked and tried to process what she’d been asked. Married… The word tumbled slowly through her mind as she flipped open the little box. Inside was a ring - bluish silver, with a simple but intricate design.

She let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. Coherent thoughts tried to form, but fell apart before they came close to the forefront of her mind.

_ Married…? _

A finger brushed over the metal of the ring. She opened her mouth to speak, failed, and closed it again. Meredosia’s hands were clutched tightly in her own lap and Alexa could hear her starting to ramble - backtracking or giving Alexa an out, she wasn’t entirely sure.

“Ah, ah, ah, shush,” Alexa said, putting two fingers up to Meredosia’s lips. “Hang on.”

Alexa closed her eyes and took a deep breath, holding it for a moment as she called on the same techniques she used to steady her mind before big performances. She let the breath out slowly, pulling her hand back from Meredosia’s lips.

As soon as she did, Meredosia began to speak again, seeming to pick up right where she’d left off. “-it’s ok if you don’t want to, I just th-”

“ _ Shush _ ,” Alexa said, holding up one finger again. She got her thoughts in the best order they would go and spoke slowly so she could carefully pick her words as she spoke. “It’s not that I  _ don’t _ want to. This was just… a surprise. And a lot to process with everything else, so-”

“I know, I’m sorry, I-”

Alexa put her hand back on Meredosia’s mouth. “ _ So _ , I’m going to say yes, but not right now. Not yet. First we sort out the demons, then we do everything else.”

She pulled her hand away again and Meredosia smiled and nodded. “That sounds perfect. Demons first, then everything else.” 

* * *

It was later in the day when Alexa and Meredosia met up again for another meal. During the hours in between, Alexa had reached her own conclusions on which world this was. There was no tall, colorful man on the grounds or in the cells, and none of the staff seemed to know who Alexa was talking about.

She used a thumb to spin the ring around on her finger as she idly listened to Meredosia talk about an upcoming meeting with visiting nobility. It wasn’t a topic Alexa had ever been very attentive towards, but it always helped Meredosia to be able to voice her thoughts.

A strange, quiet crackling caught Alexa’s attention and pulled her from her thoughts. Her face twisted into a puzzled frown as she looked around, trying to figure out what it was.

“Alexa?” Meredosia asked, noticing her change of expression.

“Did you hear that?”

Now it was Meredosia’s turn to frown. “Hear what?”

It came again, louder, more insistent. Crackling and snapping she knew she’d heard before and that she knew didn’t belong here. Somewhere behind her, somewhere above.

“I don’t know, it sounds like...” The sentence died in her throat as she looked behind her and saw the flames. A hungry, crackling inferno breaking through the ceiling and racing down the walls. “...  _ fire. _ ”

“What?”

Alexa turned back around and saw Meredosia looking slightly confused and more concerned. The fire was fast and had raced its way across the ceiling to the opposite wall. Alexa watched it burn its way down the opposite wall; heard it devouring everything in its path; heard it wreaking havoc in the ceiling above.

“ _ Fire! _ ” Alexa yelled, reaching for Meredosia’s hand. “We need to leave!”

“Alexa, calm down!” Meredosia said, her own panic bleeding through. “There is no fire!”

The heat was becoming nearly unbearable as the inferno crept ever closer. Something snapped with a loud bang and half the ceiling came crashing down, blocking the only exit and sending embers and sparks scattering across the room and onto the pair of them. Alexa screamed and patted desperately at the parts of her clothes that were trying to catch.

Meredosia grabbed her shoulders, yelling something, paying no attention to any of the flames or heat that were destroying the room and singeing Alexa’s skin. Alexa tried to shove out of her grasp -  _ she _ was going to get out of this fire, even if Meredosia insisted it didn’t exist. 

All she could see was the dancing orange and yellow of the fire. No exit, no sanctuary. She desperately tried to think of some magic she knew that could help her escape, but had nothing. There was  _ nothing _ . 

Flames caught her, started biting into her, and she screamed. 

Her vision burned orange, then white, then black, and the flames pulled her down into nothingness.

* * *

She woke with a start and a coughing fit that drove her ribs into the jagged surface she was laying on. A hazy red sky greeted her once she stopped coughing enough to try to get her bearings.

Hell. 

The Styx. 

_ Again. _

She groaned quietly as she lay on the rough gravel shore. Footsteps crunched their way over and a face loomed into view above her.

“Hello,” the amnizu said with the same drawl she remembered from the first time she woke up here. “First time?”

“Second,” Alexa mumbled.

“Ah, welcome back. Transport should be here soon.”

“Fantastic…”

“Mm,” the devil said as both acknowledgement and farewell before they wandered off down the shore once more.

Alexa folded her arms over her eyes and tried very hard not to scream again.


	30. Interlude: Moving Up

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Asra gets a promotion

“I heard the strangest story about you.” 

Asra blinked and smiled blandly at Drekker, not letting any hint of trepidation through his mask. “Well, I’m a strange guy,” he said, shrugging. “Anyway, I brought you a present.” 

Drekker narrowed his eyes slightly as Asra reached into a pocket on his coat. He pulled out the soul Nakak had given him and tossed it over. He still didn’t know where the little imp had gotten one, but he wasn’t going to complain. Drekker caught it and looked at it for a moment. 

“Hm. It’s not the best I’ve seen…” he said. “But I like the initiative.” He looked back up at Asra. “Volin’s untimely demise has left a bit of an unwanted gap… What was it that happened to him, again?” 

“Glabrezu,” Asra said, getting the distinct feeling Drekker was testing him. 

“Right, right… Unfortunate way to go…“ He paused. “Would you like his job?” 

Asra stared at him, surprised into silence for a moment. “Oh… uh… yeah, I guess,” he said.

Drekker nodded. “You will be responsible for Alexa, when she… makes it back,” he said pointedly. “As well as Carin and If’Binedz.” 

Asra nodded and waited for a moment as Drekker looked back down to whatever was on his desk, wondering if something more was going to happen. “Is that… all?” he asked, glancing at Viri, though he could decipher nothing from her expression.

“Yes,” he said, waving a dismissive hand. 

Asra left the room as quickly as he could while still being polite and exhaled with relief once he was in the hall and there was a door between them. He hurried back to his own room and locked the door before he pulled out his sending stone. 

“You said you wanted to know how it went with Drekker.” 

_Well, you’re still alive, so that’s a good start. _

“Yeah. I got… promoted?” 

A startled laugh echoed in his head. _Wait, really? Why? _

“Clearly because I’m just so amazing that even _he_ can’t ignore it any more,” Asra said, sitting down on the bed and pulling the slim lead box out of his coat. “Honestly I’ve no idea.” 

_That’s good, though, right? You’re moving up. _

“Through lying and other people’s hard work.” He opened the case and pulled out a silver fork, closing it again and tucking it away. 

_I would expect nothing less. _

Asra laughed. “I’ll talk to you later, babe. I’ve got to go talk to my… uh… employees, I guess. I love you.” 

_‘Employees’. That word sounds so unnatural coming from you. Love you, too. _

Asra hid the stone away. “Nakak?” 

The imp appeared on the end of the bed. “What’s up?” 

“D’you know where Carin and If’ are? I’ve got some news for them.” 

They thought for a moment. “I can find them!” they said brightly. 

“Fantastic, have them meet me down in the lobby, and then you and I are going shopping.” 

They blinked. “What for?” 

“For whatever you want, little friend,” Asra said. “I need to find someone to tell me if this fork is cursed, but beyond that, I’m in a good mood and I’ve just got paid, so I’ll buy you whatever you like.” 

Nakak’s eyes went wide and they beamed. “I’ll be quick!” They vanished. 

Asra made his way down to the lobby of the building, watching devils come and go. He wouldn’t go so far as to say he’d become comfortable in Minauros, but it had become familiar in a way. It was no longer a novelty to watch the various shapes and sizes of figures moving about and doing their business. 

Only a few moments passed before he spotted If’Binedz and Carin, led by Nakak trotting along in front. The imp reached Asra and hopped up with a flap of their wings, landing on his shoulders. If’Binedz already looked annoyed, and sighed when they got close. 

“What do you want?” he asked. 

“Loaded question. All manner of things, but lucky for you, you can’t get any of them. I’m just here to pass on some news,” Asra said. “Volin’s job has been filled. You’ve got a new supervisor.” 

“Oh,” Carin said, caught between relief at having a buffer between them and Drekker, and trepidation at who it might be. “Well, that’s…” 

“Who is it?” If’Binedz asked, his eyes narrowing suspiciously at Asra’s smug grin. 

“Me.” 

“Oh, bullshit,” If’ snapped. 

Asra held his hands out. “Don’t believe me, take a look,” he offered. 

The elf’s eyes glowed briefly as he read Asra’s aura and his scowl deepened. Without a word, he turned on his heel and left. Asra dropped his hands and shrugged. 

“No pleasing him. What about you?” He looked at Carin. 

She shrugged. “I’m glad it’s not someone new.” She paused. “Do we have a job, then, or…?” 

“Not yet, but I’ll keep you updated. Try to cheer If’ up.” 

She laughed lightly. “I’ll try…” 

* * *

Asra leaned back against the bar, watching the fight that was about to break out. The two devils had started arguing a few minutes ago and it had only escalated. He took a sip of his wine, content to stay out of it. He was still in a fairly good mood after going shopping with Nakak, and finding an arcanist who looked his sword over and declared it perfectly safe. He had bought an immovable rod from the same arcanist and commissioned some mithril armor from a blacksmith. Even so, he’d had plenty of gold leftover to buy Nakak any number of things, but they’d settled on a bag of polished crystal marbles. It was infuriatingly endearing. 

As he watched, the two devils broke into an actual fight. It was only a brief, violent, scuffle, that left one of them collapsed on the floor. The other spat on them and stalked out. The bartender looked mildly annoyed and snapped for someone to come get rid of the corpse. 

Asra frowned, watching as a few devils came to drag the corpse out. They were definitely dead, he thought, watching the glazed eyes slide past across the floor. And definitely not on fire. 

He turned, slapping some coin down on the counter and heading out into the street, back toward the hotel. He didn’t make it very far before a voice stopped him. 

“Ah, my friend!” 

Asra paused and turned, spotting a devil walking toward him. They were dressed garishly in expensive fabrics, though clearly unversed in fashion. A display of wealth. Asra only vaguely recognized them, but he couldn’t place from where. 

“It’s good to see you’re still alive after all,” they said. 

“Oh, sure,” Asra said, uncertain where this was leading. 

“That deal I mentioned came through,” they said conspiratorially. “It was quite lucrative for me.” 

“Clearly,” Asra said. “What deal was that again?” he asked. 

The devil laughed. “You were quite drunk, weren’t you?” 

“Right,” Asra said, finally remembering where he knew this devil from. When they’d gotten back from Stygia and he’d tried very hard to forget everything that had happened. This had been the one talking about Asmodeus wanting to invade the Abyss. It must be happening, then, Asra thought. 

“Anyway, I’m glad I caught you, and not just to brag,” they said. They reached into their coat and pulled out a small bag, handing it over. It clinked when Asra took it and he looked inside to see a good deal of gold. He raised an eyebrow. 

“I didn’t take your deal,” Asra said. “What’s the catch?” 

“No catch,” they said. “Just a… gesture of good faith. It’s always good to have friends, isn’t it? See you later.” 

Asra tucked the gold into his coat, bemused, and turned back around, continuing his walk to the hotel. Instead of going straight to his room, he went to Drekker’s office. 

He knocked on the door and, after a brief moment, it opened to Viri, who looked puzzled to see him. 

“I’ve got… uh… news, maybe,” Asra said. 

She blinked and nodded after a moment, inviting him in with a gesture. Asra stepped inside and walked over to Drekker’s desk. He was standing, looking over a map of some sort and narrowed his eyes at Asra, seeming confused, but not yet annoyed, about his presence. 

“So, I’ve just heard that Asmodeus is invading the Abyss and I thought you should know,” Asra said, without preamble. 

Drekker stared at him, straightening up. “How did you know that?” 

“I heard it from a… I think they’re an arms dealer, I didn’t really listen. No idea their name, but they did give me about a hundred gold.” He pulled it out of his coat and handed it over. “You can have it.” 

Drekker took the money and looked through it and then returned his confused gaze to Asra. 

“How many arms dealers do you know?” 

“Just the one and I wouldn’t say I know them. They apparently want to know me pretty badly, but, uh… anyway. I guess you already know, so… nevermind. Enjoy the gold.” 

Drekker held up a hand. “Since you already know, I can tell you the rest. Your next job, along with your team, will be at the head of this invasion.” 

Asra exhaled, trying to temper his reaction. “Great,” he said stiffly. 

“You’ll leave in about two weeks. Viri will be leading, so she’ll brief you when it gets closer.” 

Asra glanced at her, but her expression was unreadable as always. “Any special prep I should do before hand?” 

“Yes, actually,” Drekker said, grabbing a slip of paper. He scribbled down an address and handed it to Asra. “You’ll want to pay them a visit.” 

“Ominous,” Asra said. “Is that all?” 

Drekker nodded and Asra gave a lazy salute, heading back out into the hall. Rather than visit the address immediately, he went back to his room, locking himself in again. 

“Hey, Nakak.” 

There was a small pop and, “Yeah?” 

“Weird question, but when devils die in Hell, they just… leave a body? No bursting into flames?” 

“Uhh… yes...?” they said, clearly confused. 

“Huh. Okay. Thanks.” 

Nakak blinked, baffled. “Sure,” they said, and vanished. Asra sat down on the bed and pulled out his fork, practicing shifting it into new shapes while he sent Kealii a message, and trying to think of a name for it.

“So, two weeks, we’re going to the Abyss.” 

_Be safe. _

Kealii didn’t necessarily sound worried, which struck Asra as odd, seeing as he was being sent into the plane of demons. Maybe he was tired, Asra told himself. Or had gotten used to the idea that Asra couldn’t die permanently as long as he wasn’t in the Nine Hells. Either way, Asra wasn’t going to try and worry him unnecessarily. 

Unexpectedly, there was a pop and an imp appeared on the bed, but it wasn’t Nakak. It was Nymm. 

“Hello,” Asra said. 

“Hi,” Nymm said, seeming nervous. “Um… can I have… fifty gold?” 

Asra blinked. “Why…?” 

“Alexa needs it to get back through the portal.” 

That almost surprised him. After his earlier realization about how devils died, he had assumed Alexa was alive after all, but there was still some relief to hear it from Nymm. 

“Sure.” He pulled some coin out of his belt pouch and handed it over. “She’s going back to Onesi, then? Tell her, I can explain myself,” he said, when Nymm nodded. 

He looked puzzled, but nodded again, and vanished. 

Asra exhaled and stood up, putting the fork away. He imagined Alexa was going to have a few words for him when she got back. In the meantime, he headed back out into Minauros, following the address on the piece of paper Drekker had given him. 

It was tucked in a back alley as much as there were back alleys in Minauros—a city seemingly comprised entirely of back alleys. There were no signs, but the door was unlocked, so he knocked and let himself inside. 

“Hello…?” he called as he stepped into a dimly lit shop. 

“Welcome… welcome…” a voice slithered out of the darkness behind the counter. A massive shape slid into the room and Asra had to restrain the urge to shout. It had the torso of a man, though armless, that melded into a body not unlike that of a slug. Its skin was a dull greyish brown, mottled with inconsistent patterns, smooth and supple, reflecting the dim lights in a way that skin shouldn’t. Arms emerged from various points along its body, sorting things on the nearby shelves, retreating back into its form and reappearing somewhere else, stretching far beyond their apparent length. Two slid out around what would be its torso’s hips, hands with too many fingers, or not enough, gripping the counter so it could lean forward and look at Asra with eyes too large for its face. 

“Come closer,” it purred, and even its voice sounded slippery. “What is it you require?” 

“Uh…” Asra blanked for a moment, forgetting everything that had happened before the moment he was confronted with this creature. 

“Right, um. I’m—uh… going to the Abyss. My boss sent me here.” 

“Ahh, of course.” It looked him over, eyes seeming to glaze and unfocus as it did. It tutted, almost curiously. “Most of that will be… fine…” As it spoke, another arm came out and reached up to a shelf near the ceiling. It plucked a fist sized orb off the shelf and brought it down. 

“Attune your magical items to this and they will return with you should you… well… you _are_ going to the Abyss,” it said, seeming to amuse itself as it let out an unsettling clicking titter. It held it out and Asra reached for it, before it was snatched back. “It’s not charity.” 

“Obviously,” Asra sighed. “How much? Can I get a bulk discount if I can promise you three more sales of these things?” 

It cocked its head and smiled and Asra wasn’t sure he’d ever seen anything worse than that smile. 

“In that case… five hundred gold.” 

Asra tried to do some math in his head before he gave up. “Nakak?” 

The imp appeared on his shoulders. 

“Do I have five hundred gold?” 

They vanished and reappeared on the counter, holding Asra’s purse. He had entrusted them with it after he had started getting paid more than he wanted to carry around. 

“Yes,” they said after a moment of digging around. They pulled the requisite amount out into a pile of platinum coins. 

The creature counted through them and then handed the orb over. 

“Do come back,” it said, with that smile, and Asra snatched up his purse and Nakak and swiftly left the building. 

Once safely back out in the street, he exhaled, tucking the orb into his coat and giving the bag back to Nakak who slung it over their back and climbed up onto Asra’s shoulders, seeming content to ride around as he walked back to the hotel. 

Nakak left as Asra got back to his room, and Asra spent a few hours attuning the orb to all of his magical objects, apart from the crystal shards. He was pretty sure he was going to leave those with Nakak. 

It was in the middle of this meditation that a panicked voice burst into his head. 

_Why are you going to the Abyss?? Are you going to be okay? Do you have to go? _

Asra laughed to himself, realizing the cause of Kealii’s earlier nonchalance. He must have done some research on the Abyss. He sat the orb aside and grabbed the sending stone pendant, speaking Celestial into it. 

“Asmodeus is invading and apparently we get to be at the front lines,” he replied. “Yes, I have to go. No I probably won’t be okay, but if I’m not, I’ll end up back here so in the end, yes, I’ll be okay.” 

_I don’t like this._

“Neither do I.” 

_Just… promise me you’ll be as safe as possible. _

“I promise, and I promise I’ll keep in touch. If these stones work here, they’ll work in the Abyss.” 

_Okay. Good. I’ll just… try not to panic too much. _

Asra smiled sadly, wishing he was close enough to give Kealii a hug. “I think my job is worse for your health than it is mine. Just take deep breaths, maybe go get drunk, try to relax.” 

_I wish you were here. _

“Me too. I’ll see you again soon, I promise.” 

Kealii’s sigh was evident even through the spell. _Okay. I love you. Be safe. The usual. _

“You’d make fun of how safe I’m being at the moment,” Asra said. “I’m meditating.” He smiled at Kealii’s snicker. 

_Nerd._

“Yeah, yeah. If you don’t mind I have to attune more things to my magic orb. I’ll talk to you later, after Alexa’s shouted at me.” 

He picked the orb up again, regaining his concentration. Though it wasn’t long before he was interrupted again, this time by an imp. The tell-tale pop made him open his eyes and he found Nymm sitting on the foot of his bed.

“Hi,” the imp said nervously. 

“Need more money?” Asra asked. 

“No, Alexa just sent me to tell you that she has some… things to say to you when she gets back.” 

Asra smiled humorlessly. He could imagine what they were. “Well, you can tell her that she was turning into a demon and I had to do something. And if she wants to yell at me, she can wait and do it herself rather than making you do it.” 

“Right.” Nymm sighed and vanished. 

Asra shifted, once again closing his eyes and focusing, hoping there wouldn’t be any more interruptions. 

Alexa still hadn’t returned by the time night fell. Asra wasn’t surprised, if she had decided to stay a night with Meredosia. He certainly wouldn’t blame her, he thought, as he tried to fall asleep wishing he were somewhere else. 

Eventually, he managed to drift off into a fitful sleep. He woke in the middle of the night from a dream that left him feeling confused and shaken, but all he could remember was a luminescent moth.


	31. Interlude: Not Entirely Devils

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> in which we learn some things about Drekker and Viri

_Someone’s been reading this._

The thought occurred to Asra as he flipped through the book on primal elements that Nakak had been keeping for him. Pages, specifically those related to primal chaos, had been dog-eared and unfolded, leaving small creases in the corners of the pages. It wasn’t something Asra had done and it hadn’t been that way the first time he’d looked at this book. 

Was Nakak reading it? And trying to hide it from him? He supposed that didn’t matter. He shared enough with them already, it wasn’t like they didn’t know he was researching primal chaos. 

Before he could consider it much more, the doorknob rattled. Asra sat upright. 

“Nakak.” When the imp appeared, he handed them the book. “Hide this.” 

They vanished and whoever was at the door pounded on it. 

“Asra!” an angry voice shouted and Asra relaxed slightly, recognizing Alexa’s furious tone.

He got up and walked over to the door, unlocking it and opening it enough to see Alexa, but not enough to let her inside. He smiled. 

“Welcome back.” 

“Shut up,” she snapped. “What is _wrong _with you? You couldn’t have made Meredosia leave the room, at least?” 

“She didn’t want to—” 

“You’re _seven feet tall_!” 

“Yes, and if I had touched her, her brother would have destroyed me,” Asra said calmly. 

Alexa scowled at him. 

“You wanna see something funny?” Asra offered. Before she could say no, he opened the door a little farther and held his arms out. “Take a look.” 

Alexa rolled her eyes and they flashed briefly with a glow. She stiffened as she saw his new rank, and turned on her heel, heading off down the hallway toward her room. 

“Oh, don’t be like that,” Asra called after her. “I can get you an orb that lets you keep your magic items if you die,” he said temptingly. Alexa halted, and he smiled. “Yeah, that’s what I thought. Also, we have shit to talk about, so come back here.” 

She tipped her head back with a pained sigh and turned around, coming back, though she looked unhappy about it. Asra stepped aside, opening the door farther to let her in. He closed and locked it after her. 

“So, first off, in like a week and a half we’re going to the Abyss,” he said. 

Alexa stared at him. “I did not get enough out of this deal,” she muttered. 

“Tell me about it. Second off, I learned something very interesting while you were dead. Do you remember in Stygia when we saw all those little piles of ash? And then it turned out—wait, you were unconscious, weren’t you? Damnit, okay, well, turns out those little piles were dead devils. _But_ when I killed _you_, you burst into flames too. And then, the other day I saw some idiot die down the street and they just left a body. So what I’m saying is, no one who died in that lab actually died. I don’t know _why_ or _how_ but that lab wasn’t in Stygia or anywhere in the Nine Hells, and Volin is _still alive_.” 

Alexa stared at him in silence for a few moments and then blinked. “I think I know how you felt when I tried to tell you about alternate realities,” she said, slowly. 

“I’ve had a week,” Asra said defensively. “Anyway, I don’t know what that revelation means yet, but it’s definitely a secret. Want to go get your orb?” 

She sighed. “Yeah, sure.” 

“Great. Nakak?” 

There was a pop near his ear and a sudden weight on his shoulder. “Yeah, boss?” 

“Can you find If’ and Carin for me? Have them meet us in the lobby.” 

“Sure thing,” they said and vanished. 

Asra and Alexa left the room and headed downstairs to the lobby, only having to wait a few moments before Nakak returned, leading If’ and Carin. The imp hopped up onto Asra’s shoulders, making themself comfortable. 

“All right, team, first of all, news. In a week and a half, we’re headed to the Abyss,” Asra said. Carin and If’ stared at him, shocked. “And we need to do a little special prep, if either of you have any magic items you’d like to keep ahold of.” 

They both nodded and he clapped. 

“Fantastic, follow me!” 

Asra led them out onto the streets of Minauros, following the path he had walked before, toward the unmarked shop. Once in front of the door, he paused. 

“All right, fair warning, this is going to be the worst thing any of you have ever seen.” 

Alexa leaned forward. “Worse than that thing that was just a mouth with legs?” she asked. 

Asra thought for a moment, remembering the little demon from Wealdstone. “Yes,” he decided. “Let’s go!” 

He opened the door, leading the way inside before anyone could protest. 

“I’m back for my discount!” Asra said, bracing himself as the shopkeeper emerged from the back room. 

“Ahh, of course, welcome,” it said in that slippery voice as it leaned forward, looking over the other three, who were all desperately trying to maintain neutral expressions. “Who… is first?” 

No one stepped forward, so Asra grabbed If’Binedz and shoved him toward the counter. 

While If’ and Carin paid for their orbs, Alexa shuffled back to stand next to Asra. 

“You were right, this is worse,” she whispered. 

Asra nodded. 

Alexa stepped forward last and the creature looked her over, eyes glazing. It leaned back, looking curious. 

“I must ask… what… _is_ that?” it hissed. 

Alexa frowned. “What is… what?” she asked. 

The shopkeep leaned forward again, stretching out an arm and tapping her forehead, in the exact place where the crystalline vine had stabbed her in Stygia. Asra tensed, confused. There was something in her head, something this creature could see. It had come back with her, through the Styx. _Not good._

Alexa still looked confused. “Umm…” 

“If you’re looking to… part with it, I would pay an exorbitant price,” the creature offered. 

“I’ll… uh… think about it?” Alexa said. 

It sighed, and fetched her an orb. “Very well… if you change your mind, you know where to find me…” 

Alexa paid and Asra quickly ushered them all outside. Once in the street, with a door between them and the slug creature, Alexa turned to look at him with wide eyes. 

“What the fuck was that?” she demanded quietly. Carin looked on the verge of a panic attack. If’Binedz looked like he was dissociating. 

Asra shrugged. “A reason to go get drinks?” he offered. Carin nodded fervently. If’ started to shake his head until Asra said, “I’ll pay.” The elf sighed, but followed as he led them to one of the nicer taverns he had found in his various explorations of Minauros. 

They got a table in the corner and Asra opened a tab, letting everyone get whatever they wanted. He got a single glass of wine, making it last for an hour or so while they talked. If’Binedz, next to him, had downed a few glasses in that time. But Alexa and Carin were drinking like monsters, both of them evidently trying to drown something. 

“Hey… hey, what did everyone sell their soul for?” Alexa asked, after the conversation lulled a bit. She tipped up her glass and frowned when she found it empty. 

Asra waved at the bartender for another round. “Isn’t that a bit rude?” 

“I don’t think there’s like… social norms for us,” Alexa replied. “We’re the only of us. Here, I’ll start. I sold mine for fame.” 

“Oh, I can top that,” Asra said, grinning. “I sold mine for tarot cards.” 

Something almost like a snort of laughter came from If’Binedz, though he looked more patronizing than amused. 

“Can you do better?” Asra asked. The elf didn’t answer and Asra smiled. “Something really embarrassing, huh?” 

With no reply coming, he turned to Carin. 

“How about you?” 

She looked down into her glass. “Um… happiness, I guess?” 

Alexa stared at her. “Oh my gods…” she said softly, putting her hands on Carin’s cheeks, tears welling up in her eyes. “You are _too good_ to be here.” 

Carin stared at her, uncertain what to do with a weepy, drunk Alexa. Asra took a sip of his wine and looked at If’ again. 

“You _sure_ you don’t wanna share with the class?” 

If’ narrowed his eyes. “I don’t see the point,” he said, shrugging. “Of any of this.” He gestured vaguely around the table. “How are you so… cheerful?” 

Asra blinked, surprised. “Uhh… hm. I’m not, really,” he said. That was partially a lie, now, after having found his family. He had things to be happy about, now. “I mean, this definitely sucks, don’t get me wrong. What I wouldn’t give to be mortal, but we can’t change the past,” he said. “We are where we are and we have to live with it. And for some reason Drekker’s making a collection of the only devils with memories, so we might as well talk about it, right? Might as well have a little fun.” 

If’ looked uncertain for a moment and then downed the rest of his drink, saying nothing. Asra swirled his wine around in his glass, thinking. Drekker did seem to have a monopoly on devils that weren’t really devils. He wondered why. Maybe he was more comfortable around others like him. That thought made Asra look up, frowning. 

“Nakak.” 

The imp appeared perched on the back of an empty chair. 

“Do me a favor? Go tell Drekker that we’re having drinks on me, and he and Viri are welcome to come if they want. If not, then whatever.” 

Nakak looked at him uncertainly. “Uhh… are you sure you don’t want to wait until you’re sober to think about this?” 

“I’ve had one glass of wine, I’m not even buzzed. It’s just an offer, they don’t have to accept.” 

Nakak exhaled. “Okay,” they said and vanished. It took a minute or two for them to reappear. 

“Did he tell you to fuck off?” Asra guessed. 

“He said he’ll think about it,” they said. 

“Huh,” Asra said, taken aback. Nakak shrugged and vanished again. 

As he refocused on the group, Alexa had let go of Carin and come up with another question. 

“How did everyone die?” 

“Morbid,” Asra said. “I love it. I’ll start this time. I got shivved in an alley.” 

“My… horse fell off a cliff,” Alexa said slowly. 

Asra burst out laughing and covered his mouth. “That’s a bad horse!” 

“It was icy!” she said defensively. 

Carin looked down and said nothing. If’ was being equally quiet and Asra expected him to opt out of the game again, until he spoke very softly. 

“Beheading.” 

Asra stared at him. “I’m sorry, _what_? Did you just say you were beheaded? What the fuck did you do?” 

“I… rose above my station,” If’ said stiffly. “Certain people frown upon that.” 

“Huh,” Asra said, grinning. “Never would have expected you were a rebel. We’d probably get along if you could get that stick out of your ass.” 

If’ glared at him and Asra winked in response. He looked at Carin, who was still staring at the table. 

“Anyone else wanna share?” he asked. 

“Mutiny.” 

The voice that spoke came from behind Asra and it certainly wasn’t Carin’s. Asra tipped his head back and saw Drekker and Viri. 

“Hey, you came,” he said, genuinely surprised. “Pull up a chair.” 

Viri grabbed two chairs from another table and they both sat down. Drekker looked highly uncomfortable and like he was already regretting his decision to come down here. Viri was as difficult to read as ever, but she seemed more at ease than him. 

“Mutiny, huh?” Asra asked. “Bummer. You know, speaking of boats, I swear I heard something recently about pirates… Alexa—” He looked over and found that the bard was holding Carin’s hands, still looking a bit teary eyed. “Alexa stop touching Carin. What was that song we heard in Onesi, at that seafood restaurant? You remember, the one about pirates. Could you play it for us?” 

Alexa leaned sideways, grabbing her ever-present violin off the ground. She sat back up a little too fast and nearly fell off her chair in the other direction. She lifted her violin to her shoulder and Asra expected little more than a discordant screech in her current state, but she launched into a perfect rendition of the song, even adding a few of her own little flairs. She didn’t sing, but by the way Drekker tensed Asra could tell he recognized the song. Next to him, Viri looked away, struggling to hide an amused smile. 

Alexa finished the song and did an awkward bow. “Tah-dah,” she said, putting her violin away. 

Drekker sighed. “I was concerned you might discover some of that,” he said stiffly. 

“Oh, don’t worry,” Asra said. “It makes you seem like a person. So… since everyone else answered, except certain stuck-up elves, why’d you sell your soul?” 

He didn’t answer for a moment. 

“Come on, it can’t be more embarrassing than mine,” Asra prompted. 

Drekker looked at him. “It doesn’t matter,” he said. “My past doesn’t affect me here.” 

Asra made a disappointed noise and took a sip of wine, mentally taking back what he’d said about Drekker seeming more human. 

“Drekker,” Alexa said, suddenly, almost desperately. She reached across the table toward him and he leaned back slightly. “Do you know who killed Carin? She’s too good to be here! I have to know, so I can destroy them for sending such a perfect person to Hell.” 

Drekker blinked. “Yes, I do,” he said, and he didn’t elaborate. He pushed his chair back and stood up. Asra thought he was just going to leave, but he paused. 

“In a little over a week, you will all be heading into the Abyss. You will likely not come back without dying.” 

“Buzzkill,” Alexa said softly. 

“Viri will be going with you and she’ll have the details of your mission. In the meantime, I suggest you rest and center yourselves,” Drekker said. He dipped his head slightly. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.” 

“That’s the nicest thing you’ve ever said,” Asra said, putting a hand to his chest in mock sincerity. 

Drekker didn’t reply as he left, and Viri got up to follow. As she stood, there was the slightest hint of disappointment on her face, not directed at those at the table, but at Drekker. 

* * *

Asra stifled a yawn as he walked into the hallway, leaning against the wall to wait for Viri. They had a few days before they left for the Abyss, and he had just come from her strategy meeting, which had been insufferably boring, but he had learned a few things; they were being sent with a group of about a hundred devils as a vanguard to establish a beachhead for the proper invasion, and Viri _could_ actually talk despite that Asra was pretty sure he’d never heard her make a single noise before. 

Viri was the last to come out of the room and spotted him immediately. “Did you have a question?” she asked. 

“Not about the meeting,” Asra said, briefly considering his course of action before deciding to barrel on through. “You seem a bit friendlier than Drekker, so I figured I’d ask, what’s his… deal? You know, why’d he sell his soul? He got me all curious by completely dodging the question last night.” 

Viri sighed. “I would _strongly_ suggest that you drop it,” she said. 

“Fine,” Asra said. He paused and aimed a sly smile at her. “I couldn’t help but notice _you_ didn’t answer, either. So, did you die in some really embarrassing way?” 

Her gaze hardened, evidently done humoring him. Asra raised his hands peacefully, backing off. 

“I get it, I’ll drop it.” 

He walked past her, heading down the hall toward the stairs. Behind him, he heard her voice, so softly that he didn’t think he was meant to hear it, say a single word under her breath. 

“Mutiny.”


	32. Abyss: Boat Drinks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> boys in the band ordered boat drinks

The shore of the River Styx was as dreary as Asra remembered it, though it was far more crowded than it had been last he was here. 

He stood at the edge of the water with Alexa on one side and Viri on the other and a group of about a hundred other devils milling about aimlessly on the sand behind them. They were waiting for the barges that were coming downstream, piloted by skeletal drivers clad in ragged robes. 

Asra stared into the dark water, trying not to think about how deep it might be. It was impossible to tell. He shook himself as the barges beached near them. No use thinking about how much he hated water, he didn’t think Viri would let him get out of this that easily. 

As the gangplank dropped onto the sand, he looked at her, trying to read anything from her expression. As usual, it was impossible. It was strange, though, to see her without Drekker, dressed in armor with a sword strapped to her back. 

“Everyone onto the boats,” she shouted down the line, taking the first steps up onto the nearest barge. 

“Ugh, this is so depressing,” Asra sighed, following her. “Alexa, play Boat Drinks,” he said. 

Alexa laughed, following him up onto the boat and pulling out her violin. She launched into one of Kealii’s songs, a cheerful number that sounded right at home on the water. Asra sang, discreetly activating his sending stone to sing the pre-chorus into, unable to restrain a laugh when Kealii replied with the chorus, clearly singing at the top of his lungs. It did a little to make Asra forget where they were headed. 

“Play that Drekker one next,” he whispered to Alexa as she finished. She grinned and transitioned straight into it. Without words, it sounded like any other sea shanty. 

And someone was whistling along. Asra turned, following the noise, and saw Viri. She looked like she was lost in thought, not present enough to realize she was whistling. 

By the time Alexa was done with the song, everyone had gotten aboard, and their driver pushed the boat away from the shore, back into the current. 

“I would recommend sitting down,” it hissed. “Or at least holding on. You wouldn’t want to fall in… would you, Viri?” 

Viri’s gaze hardened slightly and she didn’t reply. The skeleton let out a little raspy laugh, amusing itself. 

Asra sat down, holding onto the railing. He didn’t know what would happen if he fell into the Styx, but he wasn’t keen to find out. The barge started moving slowly, gaining more and more speed as they traveled down the river, until they were going so fast everything around them seemed a blur. 

After an hour or so, Asra got bored. 

“How long is this going to take?” he asked Viri. 

“A while,” she said. 

He shifted, laying down on the deck and staring up at the sky breezing past, letting out a heavy sigh. “Great.” 

* * *

Asra wasn’t sure when he’d fallen asleep and he didn’t know what had woken him, but he opened his eyes to complete darkness. The boat jerked and rocked underneath him in a way that threatened to make him sick if he thought about it too much. He sat up, pushing his hair out of his face and trying to see anything in the dark. 

Alexa was awake next to him and for a few moments they sat in silence, watching as their boat danced around jagged rocks jutting out of the river. They were only the slightest flash against the torches on the boat, impossible to see until it was too late, and yet they avoided every one. 

The skeleton driver, mostly preoccupied with steering, kicked open a compartment, revealing several large fur blankets. 

“Bundle up,” it cackled, as the air around them got colder. Asra stood up unsteadily, finding If’ and Carin and waking them up. 

“C’mon,” he muttered, beckoning them. He grabbed one of the blankets and hauled it over to Viri, who didn’t look like she had fallen asleep in the first place. 

She stood, helping him unfold it so they could all huddle together under the fur. 

“We’re heading into Stygia, aren’t we?” Asra guessed. Viri nodded. Alexa moaned, burying her face in the blanket. 

“Noooo,” she whined. 

“The Styx only physically passes through a few layers,” Viri said. “Stygia is… unfortunately one of them. We should be through in a day or so.” 

As she finished speaking, the darkness around them suddenly broke open into the icy brightness of Stygia, the snow blindingly white after the blackness of the cavern. Asra burrowed down further into the blanket, grateful only that their ride had levelled out. 

“Nakak!” he called. The imp appeared and immediately squeaked and burrowed under the blanket onto Asra’s lap, peeking out. Asra chuckled. 

“Whatcha need?” they asked. 

“Can you bring us some hot cocoa?” he asked. 

“On it!” they said and vanished, returning a few moments later, bundled up in scarves, with five mugs of cocoa, handing them out to everyone. 

“Thank you, little friend,” Asra said. 

“No problem,” they said. “Need anything else? I won’t be able to reach you in the Abyss, so you’d better ask now.” 

Asra tutted. “Lucky bastard.” Nakak grinned. “I suppose I’ll get by,” Asra sighed dramatically. “Enjoy your vacation.” 

“You too!” Nakak said slyly, before vanishing. 

After a few moments of frozen silence, Alexa tipped her head back. 

“FUCK STYGIA!” she shouted and her voice echoed off the icebergs. 

A few devils nearby took up her shout and it passed down the barges, until a chorus of devils were chanting their hatred of this layer. 

It wasn’t long until the frigid air drove them all to get completely under the blanket, using it as a sort of tent, the ceiling held up by Alexa’s driftglobe that gave them some light to see by. 

Asra got out his tarot cards and started a game of solitaire, eventually getting tired of the awkward silence. 

“Hey, Viri,” he asked, “riddle me this. What would happen if a devil cast Planar Binding on another devil?” 

Asra didn’t pride himself on his knowledge of spells. They were mostly learned through accident, but he had come across a few during his recent research and that one had made him curious. 

Viri stared at him for a solid thirty seconds, her gaze becoming steadily more alarmed and wary as she considered the question. 

“Why?” she asked, eventually. 

“Just curious,” Asra said, honestly. He really didn’t think it would end well if he tried to bind anyone, but it was an amusing thought. 

“I… honestly I’m not sure,” she admitted. “Probably nothing good.” 

“Figures.” He finished his game and swiped up his cards. “Here’s another one, how does this river work?” 

She frowned. “Didn’t you learn about the Nine Hells when you woke up?” she asked. 

“You think I was listening?” 

She shook her head. “It’s… complicated, but I’ll try to explain…” 

The rest of their time in Stygia passed almost quickly, as Asra and Alexa asked Viri nearly every question they had about devils and the Nine Hells. It was strange, talking to her like this. She had always seemed cold and restrained, an imposing statue at Drekker’s side. 

Now she seemed… 

_Like a person_, Asra thought, really realizing for the first time that she was like him, in a way. She had memories. She’d had a life before this. If he was right about his suspicions, she’d been a pirate in Drekker’s crew. As she laughed at something Alexa said, Asra realized he’d never even seen her smile before, much less laugh. 

_That doesn’t mean you can trust her,_ he reminded himself. Just because she was being friendly didn’t mean she cared about them. He didn’t want to make that mistake again. 

* * *

“So… I’ve never seen you fight.” 

Viri glanced up as Asra spoke. They had entered another dark cavern, with a warmer climate, and spread out a bit as they tried to find ways to entertain themselves on this seemingly endless voyage. 

“What’s your poison?” he asked. 

Viri reached over her head and drew her longsword. It was an impressive blade, clearly of extremely good make. 

“This,” she said. 

“Pretty. I have a sword too, wanna see?” he offered. 

Viri narrowed her eyes, glancing once down his form and finding no weapons in clear sight. Her gaze turned suspicious and Asra laughed. 

“Sorry, that wasn’t an innuendo,” he said, reaching into his pocket. “No offense, or anything, but I’m gay.” 

He pulled out his spoon and held it out toward her, grinning. Viri rolled her eyes, smiling slightly as she moved to resheathe her sword. At a thought, the spoon morphed into an elegant longsword of silvery metal. Her eyes widened slightly. 

Asra’s smile got wider. “Jealous?” 

Viri smiled in return and it almost felt like a threat. “Can you use it?” she asked, standing up and twirling her sword in her hand. 

Asra realized what she wanted and stood up, hiding his sudden anxiety behind a confident smile. He was good enough with his sword, but he doubted he would be able to hold himself long against Viri. She didn’t necessarily look dangerous on the outside, but it was an air around her. The ease with which she held her sword and the amused confidence in her posture. 

Still, he wasn’t going to let her have the satisfaction of shaking him. 

The other devils on the boat quickly figured out what was going on as Viri and Asra circled each other. Alexa chanting ‘Fight! Fight!’ certainly helped them clear a space. 

Viri struck first, moving far faster than Asra would have expected. Her strikes were vicious, but calculated, easily unbalancing him as he was already uncertain on his feet on the constantly shifting deck. Asra stayed defensive, taking a few good hits before he got an opening. He staggered her enough to get in a few more light blows before she retaliated with a strike that really told him how strong she was. She was using the flat of her blade, careful not to draw blood, but he was going to have bruises. 

He couldn’t beat her, but maybe he could do something else. As she swung again, he dodged around her, slipping a hand into the pocket of her coat. His fingers brushed against a few easy stealables, but a certain shape caught his attention. 

A ring. Sewn into the fabric for safekeeping. 

A brief thought passed through his mind that he could easily tear it out, but he didn’t. As Viri turned, Asra moved slower than he needed to, allowing her to see him remove his hand. Her eyes widened and her hand went to the pocket. He held his hand open, showing her he’d taken nothing and letting her know he could have. 

“You’re faster than I expected,” he said, wincing as he stretched his bruised ribs. 

She looked at him curiously, sheathing her sword. “So are you,” she said. 

Asra twirled his sword around in his hand, reshaping it into a spoon that he pocketed. “Blade work’s awful fancy, but can you do this?” He spun on his heel, launching a bolt of radiant fire into the ceiling of the cavern where it burst against the black rocks in whorls of light. 

He turned back around, holding his hands out as if waiting for applause. 

Viri smiled, rolling her eyes. “No, I can’t,” she said. 

“So we’ve both got tricks,” Asra said, in Celestial, grinning at the brief confusion entered her gaze. 

“That will be helpful, where we’re going,” she said, and Asra’s grin turned into a frown as he dropped his arms. 

“And here I had just forgotten where we were going,” he said, walking back over to his place at the railing to sit down. He pulled his cards out and started shuffling them. 

“I’ve got other tricks too,” he said. “Want to know your future?” 

Viri shook her head. “I’ll pass.” 

Asra shrugged. The offer hadn’t been serious in the first place, only a cover that allowed him to link with the Arcana and direct their attention to Viri. As he shuffled the cards, he heard Death’s voice in his ear. 

_she sold her soul to save another, but in the end it didn’t matter_

“Do mine!” Alexa’s voice interrupted Asra’s thoughts and he looked up, across the boat, to where she lay on her back with her legs up against the railing. 

“Get over here, then,” he said. 

She rolled over and stood up, walking over and sitting down in front of him. Asra finished shuffling and cut the deck, letting her pick a stack and choose three cards from it. Despite turning the offer down, he could feel Viri watching curiously as he laid Alexa’s cards out in front of her. 

“Your Past card is… Death, upright,” he said, flipping it over. “Transformation and change. Seems fairly literal in this instance, doesn’t it?” 

Alexa laughed lightly. 

“Present…” He flipped the card over and stared at it. 

It was blank. Completely blank. 

“Uh…” He quickly flipped over her Future card and found it blank too. “What the hell…? That’s… never happened before. I have no idea what that means.” 

“I’m… sure that’s completely fine and not ominous at all,” Alexa said. 

Asra flipped all his cards over, quickly sorting through them. They were all there. It was as if the deck had added two new, blank cards just for Alexa. And as he sorted through them, they disappeared in the rest of the deck. The Arcana made no comment and he put them back into their bag, unnerved. 

* * *

Eventually, after what must have been days, the boats began to slow. They emerged from the cavern into a dreary landscape under a sky of cloudy colors that made no sense and gave Asra a headache to look at. There was a low hum in his teeth, a familiar feeling even as faint as it was. He ignored looming memories of Stygia and focused instead on the strange landscape. 

The geography made as little sense as the sky. Mountains and mesas jutted randomly out of flat plains, dipping into harsh, sudden valleys. There was little vegetation, apart from a few scraggly, unfriendly looking plants, and no movement as far as he could see. 

The barges beached and they began to disembark. Asra was one of the first off, happy to be back on solid ground, even if it was the Abyss. A shout caught his attention and he looked up to see a small figure sprinting toward them. He readied his sword, puzzled when she got close enough that he recognized her as a halfling. 

Behind her, over the hill, came a slavering horde of demons, shrieking with wretched delight as they laid eyes on the unprepared devils, most still on the boats.

“Hello!” the halfling called cheerfully as she got close, a little breathless as she sprinted ahead of the demons. 

“Welcome to the Abyss!”


	33. Abyss: Welcome to the Abyss

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> camp counselor 2: electric boogaloo

“Everyone for getting back on the boat and leaving, say ‘aye’.” 

Asra turned around and was stopped by Viri’s hand on his chest. She grabbed his shoulders and turned him back around to face the approaching horde of demons. 

“This is what we’re here for,” she reminded him, giving him a little shove. 

Asra grumbled, grabbing Alexa who was trying to sneak back toward the river. Viri headed off down the shore, shouting orders, trying to ready everyone who wasn’t still on the boats. Asra stepped forward, past the halfling, and tossed a handful of radiant fire at the demon that got the closest, causing it to skid to a halt. He scowled. 

“No!” Alexa yelled, as she also recognized the type of demon that had slowed down a bit to stalk toward them. Mostly mouth. 

The battle went fairly quickly. Despite the number of demons the halfling had brought with her, they were all quite small and the devils easily dealt with them without too many injuries. 

Asra yanked his sword out of a demon corpse and turned, intent on finding that little halfling and wringing her neck. He spotted her talking to Viri near the water, and walked back over to them. 

“Sorry about that!” she said, disgustingly cheerful. “I didn’t mean to bring you a welcoming party, but things never go to plan here. Anyway, welcome to the Abyss! My name’s Isumbras and I’m here to be your guide.” 

“Cool. Can we go home, yet?” Asra asked Viri, pretty sure this halfling was insane. 

“Yes, please,” Alexa said. 

Viri frowned. “No.” As she said it, the now empty barges shoved off and disappeared down the river. Alexa made a sad noise, watching them go. 

“No time to lose!” Isumbras said, leading the way back across the plain, toward the mountains. Asra followed, figuring the front was the safer place to be, and kept pace with Isumbras. Viri, and the rest of their small team, walked a few meters behind, with everyone else trailing following, hauling all their gear. 

Isumbras talked incessantly, but not to Asra. He didn’t revise his initial impression that she had a few screws loose. He let his gaze unfocus and her aura leapt into view around her. She was a devil, under Mephistopheles. 

“So, who’d you piss off to end up down here?” he asked, mostly just to make her stop talking to herself. 

She laughed. “No one, it’s my job!”

“Really?” 

“Oh, yes. It’s great! Well, the scenery could be better, but I get to pick my own hours. No supervision.” 

Asra chuckled. “I suppose that’s true.” As much as he hated Drekker, he didn’t think he’d trade him for the Abyss. 

Isumbras looked around, humming thoughtfully. “No,” she decided. “This layer is no good, we’ll have to try a different one.” 

She led them down a different path, through a ravine, coming to face a cliffside dotted with caverns and tunnels. She walked along, counting under her breath, and then chose one of the tunnels. Before entering, she took her pack off and reached inside, pulling out bundle after bundle of rope, far too much to fit in a normal bag. 

“Everyone tie yourselves together!” she called down the line, passing the ropes. 

Asra followed Isumbras’ example and tied the rope around his waist and passed it to Alexa. It took a good fifteen minutes for everyone to be secured, before Isumbras led the way into the cave. 

It was dark inside, and quiet apart from the sound of the devils, which seemed to echo far too loudly along the tunnel. Isumbras confidently led the way past side passages, following her own mental map, until she disappeared. 

There was a strangled shriek as she was yanked around a corner with enough force that it dragged Asra forward. He dug his heels in, holding the rope. 

“Isumbras?” he called. He could hear her muffled voice, clearly shouting something at him, but he couldn’t make it out. He tried to pull her back out, straining back against the rope and managing a few steps before it yanked him back forward. Alexa grabbed the back of his coat, adding her weight. Both of them pulled backward and Isumbras came scrambling out of the side passage, eyes wide and wild. 

“The shadows!” she snapped. “Look out for the shadows!” 

Before Asra could reply, something moved behind her and he found his sword, readying it. He watched in horror as a shape pulled itself out of the deepest shadows, insubstantial and lanky, with long, sharp claws. 

Isumbras started digging through her bag frantically. Down the line, Asra could hear alarmed shouts as more of the demons appeared out of the darkness. He focused on the one in front of him and flung a handful of fire at it. It startled backward, shrieking at him and taking a swipe at him. Asra parried it with his sword, and made a couple slashes at it. 

He knocked it backward and Alexa aimed a spell at the roof of the cavern above its head. The explosion was magnified by the tunnel, Asra’s pained shout lost in the ringing as he ducked his head, hands over his ears. A few rocks split from the ceiling, crashing down on top of the demon and killing it. 

Ears still ringing, Asra looked up and saw Isumbras nearly half inside her back. She struggled back out with a triumphant yell, producing a small rod. She smacked it and it lit up with a blindingly bright glow. She slung her bag back over her shoulder and took off running down the line, dragging Asra after her. 

The light from the rod sizzled against the demon’s shadowy forms and they fled, most straight into blades, easily cut down now that they were blinded. 

It took several minutes for everyone to untangle themselves and get back into line. Alexa lit up her driftglobe, chasing away some of the shadows as Isumbras led the way out of the cavern. 

The tunnel opened up to a ledge facing a massive gorge. Asra untied himself and walked over to the edge. It was deep enough that it disappeared into shadow before he saw any hint of a bottom. The only way he could see to get across were terrifyingly thin natural rock bridges that wove their way to the other side, occasionally intersecting with each other, held up by slim pillars. He didn’t trust his own balance enough to make it across that, but it definitely wouldn’t be enough to support the carts full of supplies they had. 

But Isumbras had a solution for that, too, and was already helping devils secure large chains on this side of the canyon, gesturing to the other side. 

“--carry them across and we can build a bridge between,” Isumbras was saying as Asra walked over. 

Viri nodded and looked at Asra. Asra held her gaze for a moment before realizing what she wanted. 

“Oh, uh…” He turned, looking over his team. Carin was keeping her distance from the edge, still looking shaken from the cavern. “Alexa, If’,” he called, beckoning them over. 

“What?” Alexa asked. If’ said nothing, but looked as friendly as he ever did when Asra spoke to him. 

“You two are the steadiest on your feet, so you’re going to take these chains across the chasm,” he said, holding up the two spikes and lengths of chain they would carry across. “Secure them, so we can make a bridge.” 

He glanced at Viri, trying to see if she approved of his delegating, but her expression was difficult to read. She seemed to be purposefully keeping it neutral, just watching to see what he did. 

Alexa whined, grumbling to herself as she took one of the chains. If’ grabbed the other without a word and started out across the rock bridge, moving carefully, but more quickly than Asra would have been. Alexa followed him slowly, edging out onto the path. 

They made slow, but steady progress across the canyon, following the weaving natural bridges. When they were a little over halfway across, movement caught Asra’s eye. 

He looked down into the chasm and saw nothing, frowning. He twirled his sword in his hand, trying to relax. Viri walked over to stand next to him and, as he looked at her, he saw something move again. 

“Did you see that?” he asked, staring down into the canyon again. 

Viri followed his gaze. “I don’t see anything,” she said. “Wait. There.” 

She pointed and Asra saw it too. Something fast, skittering up around the column. Now that they were getting closer, Asra could see several of them, swarming up toward Alexa and If’Binedz. 

“Shit,” he hissed, taking a few steps out onto the bridge. Viri grabbed his arm and pulled him back onto solid ground. He shrugged her off and launched a bolt of fire at one of the demons as it paused. 

Alexa saw the spell and, shortly thereafter, the demons. She grabbed If’Binedz and they both vanished. 

It was hard to keep track of what was happening, but Asra watched the demons swarm up onto the bridge. Two leapt up onto one of the invisible figures, seemingly not navigating by sight, and the other two skittered toward the other side, presumably chasing someone. 

Asra fidgeted, gripping the hilt of his sword tightly. They were out of range of any spell he knew and he didn’t want to risk his crossbow, knowing he might easily hit Alexa or If’. 

If’ reappeared as he dropped his chain and started hacking at the demons hanging off of him, killing them both fairly quickly. Alexa reappeared as well, after launching a spell and sending one of the demons falling off the bridge, shrieking. The other had looped around the bottom of the bridge and pounced on her. She stumbled and another demon grabbed her leg, dragging her toward the edge of the bridge. 

Alexa screamed, scrabbling at the edge. If’ turned, running for her, too late, as the weight of the demon clawing at her legs dragged her over the edge and she fell, disappearing into the fog. 

And then she wasn’t falling. 

Asra barely had a moment to startle forward before Alexa reappeared on the far side of the chasm, still clutching her spike, the chain rattling from the sudden change in direction. 

She stood up and slammed the spike into the ground, shouting in triumph. If’Binedz killed the remaining demon and kicked it off the edge, picking his chain back up and walking across to join Alexa, hammering the spikes into the ground to secure them. 

Asra tipped his head back, letting out a heavy sigh. He had no idea how Alexa had pulled that off, and the only guess he had about it was a bad one, but for the moment he wasn’t going to complain. 

Viri looked at him, somewhat critically. “You panicked,” she said. Her tone wasn’t accusatory, but it wasn’t exactly concerned either. 

“I didn’t _panic_,” Asra replied defensively. “Alexa could have died. Both of them could have. That would have been on me.” 

“That’s leadership,” she said. “People on your team _will_ die, you need to accept that. You can’t let it break you. You can’t freeze. You can’t panic. You can’t second guess yourself.” 

“Thanks for the pep talk,” Asra snapped. “You’re really making me miss Volin.” 

Viri sighed slightly and walked away, going to help as they started building the bridge. Asra stayed where he was, pacing restlessly as he waited, keeping watch for any more demons and trying not to think about what Viri had said. 

He wasn’t meant for leadership, he thought. He had accepted Volin’s position because he assumed it would afford him more freedom. He didn’t think about having people underneath him. People that would rely on him to make good decisions and not get them killed. 

Eventually, the bridge was complete, and they crossed over to join Alexa and If’Binedz on the other side. Asra pulled Alexa off to the side. 

“So, uh, wanna tell me how you teleported just now?” he asked. 

“I have… no idea,” she said. “But I think I’ve done it before.” 

“Hm,” Asra said, trying not to look too concerned. “Well, it’s useful, I guess.” 

“I mean I can’t do it on command, but I’m glad I didn’t fall into a chasm,” Alexa agreed. 

“Too bad, you could’ve gone home,” Asra said, grinning. 

“Damnit.” 

He laughed, pushing away his uneasiness and walking back over to the group. Isumbras was busy chiseling a few words in Infernal onto a rock that she flipped over and left by the bridge. 

“What’s that?” Asra asked. 

“Notes,” she said. “When we were here and what attacked us, that sort of thing.” She stood up and dusted her hands off. When she took to the front of the group again, Asra hung back, walking with his team and letting Isumbras mutter to herself. 

They continued walking, uneventfully, through confusing geography, for hours until it became dark and Isumbras insisted they stop for the night. In an arrangement that felt familiar to Asra, the carts were placed in a protective ring, tents set up in the middle. 

“Assign watches,” Viri said. “We’ll need three. I can take the third.” 

Asra narrowed his eyes, wondering why she kept shuffling responsibility off onto him. It felt like a test. 

“Uh… Carin, you up for first watch?” Asra asked. She nodded. “Great, I’ll take that with you and Alexa and If’ can take second.” 

As everyone else went to sleep, or at least attempted to, Asra left the circle of wagons, starting to wander around the perimeter. As he walked, the engravings on his sending stone suddenly lit up. 

_How’s it going?_

Aware of the dozing devils a few meters away, Asra replied in quiet Celestial. “It sucks. No one’s died so far but I’m never going to get the demon stink out of my clothes.” He glanced behind him as Carin hurried to catch up. “Can’t talk at the moment. Love you.” 

He tucked the stone back in his armor, stifling the glow. _Love you too. _He smiled at Carin, Kealii’s voice having put him in a better mood. She didn’t return the smile, looking more nervous than usual. They walked in silence for a moment, Asra unsure how to comfort someone. Though, he supposed that was his job now. To support his team. 

“So… the Abyss sucks, huh?” he said. 

Carin nodded. After another period of silence, he tried another tactic. 

“What have you and If’ been up to? Anything exciting?” 

“Mm, not really,” she said. “Like… delivery jobs and things. What about you?” 

“Well… Alexa and I robbed a museum…” Asra said. 

Carin stared at him and then laughed. It was a tiny laugh, breathy and tempered, but it was a laugh. “Seriously?” she asked. 

“Yeah. We got a bunch of dynamite and blew a hole into the vault and then almost got murdered by some enchanted dresses. It was fun.” 

She was quiet for a few moments. “You seem so… at ease with all of this,” she said quietly. 

Asra laughed. “I’ve had to seem at ease with things my entire life,” he said. 

“Then you’re not…” She faltered and thought for a moment. “Have you ever… have you ever killed someone? Not a demon or a monster, but a person.” 

Asra hesitated. He could tell by the tone of her voice that she had. Her first, he thought, and recently. He sighed. 

“Yes. Before I was a devil, I… Well, the gist is that he deserved it.” 

“Does it… does it get easier?” she asked softly. 

“That depends on how much you let it affect you,” Asra said. “Or how bad the person is. Some people are monsters and if you think of them like that, then it’s no harder to kill them than a demon. But the simple answer is no, it doesn’t. And it shouldn’t.” 

She looked at him. “What do you mean?” 

Asra stopped and leaned against one of the carts. “It’s hard because you have empathy, that’s not a bad thing. I think… if we’re going to survive down here, we’ve got to hold on to what makes us human.” 

“I guess so.” 

“You don’t want to end up like Drekker,” Asra said. “Can’t imagine how long he’s been down here to turn into that. Unless he was always an asshole.” 

Carin didn’t reply, but she seemed more at ease and the silence was a more comfortable one. They stayed by the cart for a while long before walking again, talking about more nonsensical things until it came time to wake Alexa and If’Binedz up for their shift. 

Asra crawled into their tent at the edge of camp, trying not to trip over Viri as he found an empty bedroll and laid down, closing his eyes and hoping the rest of the night passed as uneventfully. 


End file.
